Georgia Senate considers controls on school libraries and criminal charges for librarians

Georgia senators are advancing a proposal that would require school libraries to notify parents of every book their child checks out. The state Senate Education and Youth Committee voted 5-4 Tuesday to advance the bill to the full Senate for more debate. A proposal to subject school librarians to criminal charges for distributing material containing obscenity is waiting in the wings. The measures are part of a broad and continuing push by Republicans in many states to root out what they see as inappropriate material from schools and libraries. Opponents say it’s a campaign of censorship meant to block children’s freedom to learn, while scaring teachers and librarians into silence.