Posted on 27 April 2026 by Medicine Hat Public Library Board.
The Province of Alberta has introduced legislation which will enable the government to restrict library books. We are concerned by the legislation and the damage the government will do to library service for all members of our community.
The Province is
worried about youth viewing what they describe as pornography. Pornography is typically defined as sexually explicit material, created with
the intention to arouse, and lacking educational or cultural value. No
such material exists in Alberta public libraries. Over 90% of youth access to
inappropriate content is via cellphone, with the Internet being the primary
source of pornography that affects youth. This legislation does nothing
to address this real issue.
A tiny percentage,
well under 1%, of library materials contains images that could be considered
explicit. These are always part of a larger work which has value as an
educational resource or artistic expression. Art books, scientific works,
health guides, graphic novels, and more can contain such images. These
are almost always intended for adults, placed in adult collections, and
housed in adult areas of the library. All material in adult, youth and
young adult collections is age appropriate, selected carefully following
professional standards defined in library policy, and wanted by people in our
community.
Library collections
contain controversial content, including explicit content, because a diverse
collection allows people to engage with the widest range of ideas as they
develop their own knowledge and beliefs. Libraries support and defend
intellectual freedom because people in a free society should be able to think
and read what they want, within the restrictions of the Criminal Code of Canada
which prohibits truly unacceptable content. No library book is right for
everyone. Every library book is right for someone.
The diversity of
public library collections means that parents may want to guide their children
in the use of the library. We fully support parents’ authority and
responsibility to do so.
The Province’s
stated plan is to make libraries prevent anyone under the age of 16 from
accessing any explicit image in a library. In practice, this means
libraries will have to construct locked storage areas where “dangerous” books
are stored away from public access. Even adults will have to ask for
these materials and verify their age. Making even adults ask for books is
a real barrier that will cut some people off from information they need for
their health, lifelong learning, and freedom to read.
RELATED: Chief Librarian: Implementing Government Regulations In Bill 28 Will Damage Our Services And Facilities
Another option is
for libraries to ban youth from adult areas of the library. This would
cut youth off from most of our collections and eliminate their ability to
challenge themselves with books of all sorts.
Our library is
governed by local community members on our Board. In 2025 our Board
members directly engaged hundreds of Hatters, and hundreds more through an
online survey to inform our new Plan of Service. Despite having the
freedom to voice any feedback, not a single person mentioned this as a
concern. Hatters told us they care about affordability, parking, expanded
library service in the city, and providing support and social connection for
our community.
We have policies
which allow people to request removal of materials they object to. We
respond to community feedback when review shows that materials are better
placed in a different collection or removed altogether. This local
governance and control works. Our users and our community are happy with
library services and support our collection.
We want parents to make decisions about how their
children use the library and what they can read - not the government. We
want our community to choose what books are in our collection - not the
government.
As Hatters, we
encourage the Government of Alberta to live up to the provincial motto, “Fortis
et Liber” - Strong and Free - and to allow us to continue serving Medicine Hat
free from government control, as we have for the last 110 years.
We encourage our
users and our community to speak out about the government’s plan. We
would like to hear from our users and our community, whatever their
opinions. The free exchange of ideas is what libraries and democracies
are built on.
M.B. Kaethler
City of Medicine Hat
Library Board Chair
Megan Hilgendorf
City of Medicine Hat
Library Board Vice-Chair