SB24-216 Summary

• Establishes written policy standards for public library boards of trustees regarding acquisition, retention, display, and use of library resources and facilities.

• Requires libraries to provide diverse points of view, prohibit exclusion based on ethnic origin, gender identity, or topic/opinions, and prohibit partisan or doctrinal disapproval as grounds for removing materials.

• Mandates libraries may only remove resources from permanent collections through an established reconsideration policy that considers perspectives of marginalized groups and prohibits discrimination based on age, background, political/religious views, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

• Protects library employees from termination, demotion, discipline, or retaliation for refusing to remove materials before review or for making acquisitions and programming decisions in good faith compliance with established standards.

• Makes written reconsideration requests public records under Colorado Open Records Act, requires reconsideration policies posted on library websites, limits reconsideration of same resource to once every two years, and restricts requests to residents of the library's legal service area.