York County Didn't Ban a Single Book. It Just Let Parents Decide.

Parents should decide what their children read, and a library’s shelf placement should not decide it for them. On Oct. 8, the York County Library Board of Trustees voted to move five books from the children’s and teen sections into the adult collection, overruling library staff on four of them¹.

Libs of TikTok celebrated the vote in a post on X on Oct. 12. The board moved five books.

The titles are “19 Love Songs” by David Levithan, “The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo, “When Aidan Became a Brother” by Kyle Lukoff, “People Kill People” by Ellen Hopkins and “Sold” by Patricia McCormick². All five now sit in the adult collection, which the library’s policy defines as materials for patrons 18 and over³.

The library’s card policy says a parent or guardian chooses a minor’s card type, and an Unrestricted Minor Card allows the child to borrow juvenile, teen and adult materials⁴.

“age and developmentally appropriate material”

The board did not simply overrule its staff; it set where these titles sit for every child who uses the children’s and teen sections. Library staff reviewed the complaints under the board’s collection development policy and recommended keeping four of the books where they were and moving one¹.

The board’s Policy/Appeals Committee rejected those recommendations, and the full board upheld the committee on all four¹. The policy behind that decision is the board’s own: its text says the York County Board of Trustees “is authorized to pass and implement policies for the York County Library.”⁵

That same policy directs staff to select and organize “age and developmentally appropriate material.”⁵

Parents who want that access can authorize it for their children, and families who do not want it should not have a library’s default decide the question for them.

1. Dec. 11, 2025The board adopted a new collection development policy
2. Oct. 8The board voted to move five books into the adult collection
3. Oct. 12Libs of TikTok posted about the vote on X
4. Nov. 12, 2026The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled

The vote came after the board rewrote its rules. WCNC reported that the York County Library Board voted 6-1 on Dec. 11, 2025, to adopt a new collection development policy³.

The policy bars sexually explicit books from the juvenile collection and the juvenile sections of the library’s branches⁵.

The American Library Association documented 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second-highest total it has ever recorded. The ALA also classifies relocating a book to a section meant for an older age group as an access restriction stemming from a challenge³.

The ALA found that 92% of 2025’s challenges came from pressure groups, government officials or other decision-makers, while fewer than 3% came from individual parents³.

York County’s model answers that question: staff place books by age under written policy, and a parent’s signature on a card is what opens wider access⁴.

Board member Terry Plumb voted against moving the four appealed books, and The Herald reported that he said the decision violates constitutional rights, including the rights of LGBTQ people to access books. He also warned that going against staff advice invited a lawsuit⁶.

The board’s answer is the one its own policy gives: staff applied the approved policy, and the committee and full board reviewed the appeal. The library says its board meetings are open to the public.

The access concern is fair: a title in the adult section is less directly available to a young reader.

The next chance to act is the board’s next regular meeting, which the library’s posted schedule lists for Nov. 12, 2026. The board meets at 1:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Fort Mill Library, unless otherwise noted. Up to six York County residents may sign in to speak at the start of the meeting, two minutes each⁷.

Other library boards should preserve access to these titles while leaving decisions about a child’s reading to the parent.

Sources

1. York County Library Board Moves Five Books to Adult Section – WRHI
2. York County Library Board Moves Five Books to Adult Section – Tega Cay Sun
3. York County Library Board Moves 5 Books to Adult Section
4. Library Card Policy | York County Library
5. Collection Development Policy | York County Library
6. York Co. board votes to move library books with LGBTQ, sexual content out of kids’ section
7. Board of Trustees | York County Library