[Sca-librarians] Sca-librarians] Children's Books...

[Johnna Holloway]

Here is the ALA reply issued today--

Johnnae

NEWS
For Immediate Release
January 26, 2009


  ALA Files Comments, Urges CPSC To Exempt Libraries from Regulation
  Under Consumer Product Safety Act

*WASHINGTON**, D.C.* – The American Library Association (ALA) today 
filed comments with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 
urging the commission to issue notification confirming that the new lead 
limits under the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSIA) do not apply to 
library books and related materials.

Under the CPSIA, which was passed by Congress in August, children’s 
products are required to undergo stringent testing for lead and 
phthalates. Currently, the General Counsel of the CPSC is interpreting 
the law to apply to ordinary, paper-based books for children 12 years of 
age or younger, so that all such books and product would have to be 
tested for lead content. Therefore, public, school, academic and museum 
libraries would be required either to remove all their children’s books 
or ban all children under 12 from visiting the facilities as of February 10.

The ALA’s comments explain that the new CPSIA standards applicable to 
children’s products should not apply to library books on library shelves 
prior to February 10. Since a library’s books are neither “produced” nor 
“distributed” by the library, the law should not apply to library books. 
At this point, however, the CPSC has indicated that the law will apply 
to libraries.

Additionally, the ALA’s comments reaffirm the comprehensive evidentiary 
support the publishing community has supplied the Commission that 
children’s books do not present any of the health or safety risks to 
children that the law aims to address. This evidence provides an ample 
basis for CPSC to exercise its regulatory authority to determine that 
books inherently satisfy the new lead standards.

Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA Washington Office, said 
it is critical the CPSC take these comments into consideration.

“If the commission does not correct their ruling to include library 
books under the regulation of the Consumer Product Safety Act, 
communities and schools across the country are going to be shocked and 
outraged on February 10,” Sheketoff said.

“While we understand the process the CPSC must carry out in order to 
ensure this law is properly enforced and that the safety of our nation’s 
children is protected, we believe the commission is wasting time and 
resources by zeroing in on book

The ALA’s letter to the CPSC can be viewed through an MS Outlook Web 
document.
<https://owa.ala.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/ala_comments.pdf>