Library Commission discusses definition of ‘young adult’

Members of Montana’s State Library Commission Wednesday engaged in a spirited discussion about the importance of teen-oriented sections in public libraries and how young-adult titles are selected and presented to younger patrons.

Sandwiched between routine action involving the Montana State Library’s financial report and presentations by the library’s natural heritage program, the conversation about young-adult materials — conducted via Zoom — arose from questions about what age range those books target. Commissioner Tammy Hall prefaced the discussion by sharing her concern that while the Library of Congress continues to define “young adult” as age 12-18, other definitions have broadened in recent decades to include readers as young as 10 and as old as 25. Citing a May 2023 article in Publishers Weekly, Hall noted that 51% of young adult titles sold are purchased by adults over the age of 30.

“If the librarians are assuming it’s 13 to 18 and so are the parents, no problem. If there are people in Montana who think that it’s appropriate to have books that would be for 25 and 26-year-olds in the YA [section], that’s the problem,” Hall said, arguing that a book a 26-year-old would read “is not necessarily appropriate for a 10-year-old.”

Hall attributed the shifting definition of young adult books in part to the American Library Association, which the commission sought to distance Montana from last year by voting to withdraw the State Library from ALA membership. While the ALA’s Young Adult Library Services Association has acknowledged an expansion in the conventional definition of young adult, the association itself defines the age group as between 12 and 18 and makes frequent use of the term “teen” in its materials.

Commissioner Brian Rossmann noted that many Montana libraries similarly use “teen” in reference to their collections and youth sections instead of young adult. He added that, during discussion on the same topic at a recent meeting of the regional Broad Valleys Library Federation, librarians from southwest Montana emphasized the important role teen-branded spaces play for library-going youth. As for whether any of those libraries had received a complaint about a specific young adult title, Rossmann said there has been only one and it was “very oblique.”

“The spaces were more important than the collections, having a space for these kids that are no longer children but are not yet adults,” Rossmann told fellow commissioners, adding that such spaces were seen as safe places for teens to engage in clubs, tutoring and other activities. “So I’m not quite sure why we’re having this discussion. I think that the libraries are doing a very good job.”

Commissioner Carmen Cuthbertson, who also vice-chairs the board of trustees at Kalispell’s ImagineIF Libraries, questioned whether the state library commission ought to draft a recommendation for Montana librarians on how to deal with a book designated by others as a young adult title. She specifically referenced the graphic-novel-styled memoir “Gender Queer,” which has topped the ALA’s annual list of the most-challenged books in America since 2021 and played prominently in more sweeping debates about the titles housed in local libraries.

“What is the responsibility of a public library to be clear about what’s in those sections?” Cuthbertson asked. “Are we representing to the public that if it’s called a teen section, there’s some objective standard like with movies that this is or this is not in this book? It’s about empowering the parents to make choices for their kids.”

Tracy Cook, the State Library’s lead consulting librarian, clarified for the commission that most local librarians in Montana are in the practice of reviewing and analyzing new titles to determine where to appropriately catalog them. Cook also said it’s common in the state’s smaller libraries for librarians to use their familiarity with the community to help guide parents and children toward books they’ll likely find engaging. The same goes for children’s librarians and teen librarians in larger communities, she added.

“When I’ve seen them in action, they are clearly trying to focus on the love of reading and be respectful of people and their needs and the development of that individual standing in front of them,” Cook said. “Librarians don’t always follow — in fact they rarely follow — everything the American Library Association recommends.”

Later, Cuthbertson initiated a broader philosophical conversation about the role Montana libraries play in their respective communities. She said the issue arose for her in preparation for ImagineIF’s upcoming review of its strategic plan. In her view, the Flathead Valley’s library system has experienced “mission creep” as it’s sought to meet the specific needs of distinct community groups. Given that direction, Cuthbertson asked for the commission’s input on what a library’s priority should be in the community it serves.

In response, Commissioner Tom Burnett said he believes the priority should be to provide physical and electronic resources that facilitate reading. The inspiration to learn and grow intellectually, he continued, has to begin with an individual and their upbringing at home. Burnett added that when library trustees are weighing financial investments in building renovations or infrastructure additions, visitation numbers are likely the first measure they’d consider. Given in-state and national declines at some libraries, he suggested some composite metric that includes active library card holders per capita could be useful for trustees and taxpayers who want to continue supporting their local libraries.

Hall made a observation similar to Cuthbertson’s with regard to the Bozeman Public Library, noting that members of her book club use the facility regularly, as do seniors who rely on the library’s computers for access to Medicare information. The director of Bozeman’s library, Susan Gregory, joined the conversation to say that such diversity of use is intentional and in line with her library’s mission, which she described as “books and…”

“A lot of these things that we provide, whether it’s a yoga class, whether it’s baby story time — which earlier this week had 111 people just for one story time session — getting people into the library is the first step,” Gregory said. “What we find is they may come in to use the embroidery machine, but they’re going to leave with a book.”

Wednesday’s discussions were primarily high-level, with no commission action taken and no recommendations suggested or adopted. But Hall and Cuthbertson both said the conservations helped resolve key questions they’d been grappling with. The commission did accept a motion by Burnett to postpone discussion of its Statement on the Freedom to Read, a nonbinding affirmation adopted in 2022 that states “all Montanans will have access to library content and services, sufficient unto their needs. To allow anything less is contrary to the rights afforded to Montanans and Americans.”