All six members of the Arkansas State Library Board have been replaced, with a more conservative bench.
This comes after a law to replace the board was passed in the legislature and signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year. The replacements, all appointed by Sanders, are a part of a statewide push to regulate the content of books in public libraries.
Former board members refused to pass a resolution withholding funding from libraries, or requiring libraries to relocate certain books to a restricted section. Lawmakers decided to replace them at the last legislative session.
Across Arkansas, groups have been organizing to move or remove books they see as too graphic. Generally, the books are about sex education or LGBTQ+ themes and characters. Though most libraries have policies banning children from unsupervised access, detractors worry a child could stumble upon these books by mistake.
In December 2023, Sanders added former Republican state Sen. Jason Rapert, an outspoken supporter of book relocations, to the library board. At every meeting since his appointment, Rapert tried to pass resolutions to withhold funds. The resolutions would require libraries to relocate books he found offensive, including the graphic novel “Gender Queer: A Memoir” which he described as “pornography.” Each resolution failed, some not even receiving a second.