Little Rock, Arkansas – Jason Rapert, a former senator from Arkansas, was appointed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday to a six-year term on the State Library Board.
Rapert is a “staunch conservative and a proponent of a biblical worldview,” according to the right-leaning education and research group Family Council. He will remain on the state board until October 18, 2029.
Family Council President Jerry Cox stated on Monday, “He will be a much-needed addition to the library board in light of recent concerns some people have voiced about inappropriate material in local libraries.”
The Arkansas State Library’s website states that its goals are to inform, assist, and guide the growth of regional public libraries while also providing the resources required to meet the state’s residents’ informational, cultural, and educational requirements.
After a year of debate over what resources should be offered in public libraries, Rapert was appointed.
In March, Sanders ratified a bill that would have made it illegal for bookstores and librarians to give “harmful” products to children. The law also established a new procedure for objecting to library materials and asking that they be moved to locations that are inaccessible to children.
A preliminary injunction was issued by U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks in July to prevent the law’s enforcement.
Legislators in Arkansas adopted policies that would facilitate the banning or restricting of books, following the lead of a growing number of conservative states. In the 20 years that the American Library Association has been monitoring these initiatives, the quantity of attempts to outlaw or restrict books in the United States last year was at an all-time high.
Some states, like Iowa, Indiana, and Texas, have passed laws limiting access to specific materials or making it simpler to contest them.