TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– Senate Bill 410, also known as the public libraries bill, allows libraries to issue a library card to children in foster care regardless of their living situation.
Jon Ford, Indiana senator, said it has taken several years to get the bill through the statehouse.
“It’ll help them with their funding for other opportunities. It is something that they have sought out for two years. So it was good that we were able to get that out for them,” he said.
Kristi Howe, executive director of the Vigo Co. Public Library, helped draft the bill in collaboration with the Indiana Library Federation.
She said libraries must support children by giving them access to the resources at the library.
“We wanted to make sure that libraries had the ability to be flexible and responsive in serving those kids as they navigate what’s already a very challenging time,” Howe said.
Senator Ford said libraries are more than just public facilities.
“Our public library here has really changed. It’s not just a place with books in it,” he said. “It is providing a lot of services, from internet service, to career development service for people. Just a lot of services in rural Indiana, and not just in downtown Terre Haute, but in West Terre Haute. It’s providing a lot of programming for children,” Ford said.
Howe said the bill is a proactive measure to prevent foster children from being restricted from accessing the public resources in their area.
“We identified some of the challenges that libraries were facing and just decided it’s really important for us to be involved in helping to come up with the proposed ideas for how to make things better,” she said.
The bill also allows a local library board to issue a library card at a free or reduced charge to people who are not residents of that library district.
