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Mom shares how Idaho's public library law led to a tragic experience with her daughter

"My heart broke."

@carlyjdot/TikTok

Carly Anderson went viral on TikTok after sharing her experience of Idaho's new library law.

Idaho's House Bill 710, signed into effect on July 1 2024, is the end result of years of attempts by the state’s legislature to restrict library access. This bill requires that libraries relocate items deemed “harmful” by anyone who fills out a form to a restricted “adults-only” area. Failing to do so within 60 days puts libraries in danger of being sued for $250, as well as “actual damages and any other relief.”

For those who want to venture into the restricted area: you must be 18 or older, have an unrestricted library card… or be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian who must sign an affidavit every time you come to the library. If your skin is starting to crawl just reading this, wait until you hear from a mom who has experienced it firsthand.

In a TikTok video that racked up 86,000 likes, Carly Anderson, a mom of three living in Idaho Falls, Idaho, shared what happened when she took her 11-year-old daughter to the library to get a copy of “Fellowship of the Ring,” after just having finished “The Hobbit.”

As they went upstairs to the adult section, they noticed the new sign with the whole spiel about needing an unrestricted library card or affidavit.

Okay, no problem: Anderson shows both her ID and her daughter's library card. Should be smooth enough sailing from here.

But that’s when the librarian stopped her.

“Why don't they let me? Because I'm holding a baby, my 1-year-old."

That’s right, even her baby (who can’t read yet!) needed a “library card or I signed an affidavit.”

"So me and Daphne just watched from the edge while Scarlett goes in to find her book. The librarian ended up helping her,” Anderson said.

@carlyjdot Coming to a library near you 😭 #library #greenscreen #scarletttok #bookban #momtok #lordoftherings #harrypotter #project2025 #librariesoftiktok ♬ original sound - Carly

It’s worth noting that Anderson made it clear that she didn’t blame the “nice and patient” librarians for this mess, who she said appeared just as “sick of it” as everyone else, and who seemed to “feel so bad turning kids away from going into the library."

And while, in the end, Anderson’s kid did get the book she needed, her “heart broke” at the thought of other knowledge-hungry kids who wouldn’t be so lucky.

"What about these kids that aren't coming in with parents? What about the Matildas out there that literally come to the library to just read, read, and read and then gain superpowers because they're Matilda? What about the Hermiones out there that find amazing answers because they go into the Restricted Section of the library?"

As one viewer sadly noted, “The Matildas and Hermiones won’t even know who Matilda and Hermione are because they’re not allowed into the library to get their books."

Sadder still, Anderson added in a follow-up video that “some of the smaller community libraries have been closed since July 1 because they just don't have the funding to restructure a library like this, or the funding to get sued every time someone gets offended."

Anderson then rattled off a long list of folks who will be very negatively impacted by this new law: marginalized groups, smaller communities, kids that don't get to come in with their parents, grandparents taking their grandchildren, teenagers looking for answers about eating disorders and abuse…just to name a few.

@carlyjdot Replying to @stephdykman Giving more detail on why Idaho libraries are hurting right now. Spread the word so we can change this! #parttwo #librarytiktok #booktok #bookban #project2025 #vote ♬ original sound - Carly

It’s no surprise that within a month of being passed back in 2024, Bill 710 drew passionate criticism. This included a lawsuit to stop enforcement of the bill was filed on behalf of three schools, four parents, the Community Library Association and Collister United Methodist Church, under the claim that it violates first amendment rights.

Unfortunately, as of March 19, 2025, a federal judge has denied requests to block the bill.

This article originally appeared last year.

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A closed Swedish library left its door open. The community reacted with pure goodness.

Now, that's what community means.

via Google

People reading at the Gothenburg City Library in Sweden.

Basketball coaching legend John Wooden once famously said, "The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching," and he has a great point. It’s one thing to do what’s right when you are afraid you’ll be punished for doing the wrong thing by an authority figure. It’s another to do the right thing because your peers will applaud you.

But the highest moral good is doing what’s right when no one is watching because that’s doing good for its own sake.

A story out of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that in that community, the patrons of its library know a little something about doing good just because it’s the right thing to do.

On November 4, the Gothenburg City Library was closed for All Saints Day. The day is a holiday dedicated to remembering loved ones who passed by lighting a candle on their graves, or spending time with family and having a festive meal.

The City Library was scheduled to be closed for the holiday, but one of the employees forgot to lock the building door. So, being that it was a Saturday, hundreds of people flocked to the library to check out books, read magazines, surf the internet, or play video games.

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Bike parking at the Gothenburg City Library in Sweden.

via Johannes Ortner/Flickr

Library employee Anna Carin Elf was in the neighborhood and was shocked to see people walking in and out of the library when it was supposed to be closed. Even though it wasn’t supposed to be open, the people in the library just went about their business as if it was a typical day.

“They were surprised. They thought it was a bit empty,” Elf said, according to ZME Science. “The people in the library behaved as usual. Many were sitting reading newspapers, some families were in the children’s section and others were searching for books on the computer.”

Elf contacted her boss and another colleague and told everyone in the library that the building was closed. The patrons closed up their books and went home. But some left with books for some weekend reading.

The librarians later did a tally and found that 446 people visited the library on All Saints Day and 246 books were borrowed. Surprisingly, all of the books were returned within 5 days. "Nothing was destroyed. It's amazing that Gothenburgers enter an empty library and treat it so lovingly," Elf told The Local.

Through that act, the people of Gothenburg showed us what community spirit is all about. Their collective honesty is a beautiful indicator of their love for their library, its resources and their fellow citizens. Because when you rob a library, you’re stealing from your community.

The story is a powerful reminder to people all over the world of how we should view our public libraries. They aren’t just buildings but a crucial part of our community, a hub of learning and a symbol of our trust in each other.

It also proves the old Iraqi proverb: “The reader does not steal, and the thief does not read.”


This article originally appeared on 11.9.23


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An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

KTVB/YouTube

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days.

He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.


The library Facebook page shared that it had officially added the book to the collection at the branch, writing, "Imagine our surprise yesterday when Dillon's mom called to tell us that her son had authored an entire book, shelved it at the Lake Hazel Branch, then announced to his family later that he had written a book and it could be checked out at the library."

The library also announced that Dillon's book had won the first-ever Whoodini Award for Best Young Novelist—an award created in his honor.

Dillon told local news station KTVB that the book features him, his mom, Santa, a bomb, a portal and a giant carnivorous turkey. Because of course.

"I've been wanting to put a book in the library since I was five," Dillon told the station. Nearly half his life, in other words.

Dillon said there were a lot of librarians he had to sneak past with his book to surreptitiously put it on the shelf, but he did it.

"I'll always be sneaky, like how I get chocolate," he explained. Classic.

The adults on every front handled this kid's creativity and determination the best possible way. His mom called the library to let them know the book was there so it wouldn't get lost or taken.

And rather than just returning the book, the librarians actually put it into circulation.

"His parents were worried we would find his book and we would get rid of it," Lake Hazel Branch Library manager Alex Hartman told KTVB. "Which was an unfounded fear because if there's ever a place a book would be safe, it would be here."

The librarians loved Dillon's book.

“It deserves a spot on our library shelves,” said Hartman. “It’s a good story.”

At the time of this local news report, the book had a handful of people in line to check it out. But The New York Times reports that as of the end of January, the waiting list has grown to a whopping 56 people. If each person kept the book for the maximum four-week checkout period it would take four years to get to the people at the bottom of the list.

The experience has made Dillon decide to become an author, his mom said, and he even has some career goals laid out.

“I’m going to stop writing when I’m 40,” Dillon said. After that, he will switch to game creation. In the meantime, he has a sequel to his first novel in the works.

“My next book is going to be called ‘The Jacket-Eating Closet,’" he said, "based on actual events.”

Amazing. Kudos to Dillon for following his dream and making it happen, kudos to his mom for encouraging him and kudos to the librarians who saw an opportunity to support a child's creativity and ran with it.


This article originally appeared on 09.13.22

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People are shocked at what they can get for free through the public library besides books

Udemy and Coursera courses, musical instruments, zoo passes and more—all for free.

Canva, @twodegreemami/X

Did you know you might be able to get Udemy and Coursera courses for free with your library card?

It's well-established here at Upworthy that libraries are the greatest human invention ever. An open and welcoming public space where you can borrow books about any subject you want for free as long as you bring them back? Simply brilliant.

But even as awesome as that is, it's not even the half of what makes public libraries great because there is so much more you can get than just books. Lots of people probably know you can check out DVDs from most libraries as well, and many probably know that you can check out digital books and audiobooks as well. (If you haven't checked out the Libby app to check out free audiobooks with your library card, run don't walk.)

But let's go over some of the lesser-known library card perks, which miraculously keep on growing. These offerings will vary by location and may not be available at your local library, but it's worth checking your library's website because you might be surprised.

Zoo and Museum Passes

Many cities—including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and many more—offer free admission tickets to area museums, parks, gardens, zoos, etc. For most library systems, you get a certain number of tickets per month for free, but these can save you a ton of money. We're talking main attractions in some of these cities, not just obscure museums no one has ever heard of (not that those aren't worthwhile).

Classes through Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning and more

Online learning platforms like Udemy, Coursera and LinkedIn Learning offer tons of classes about everything under the sun, but many of them you have to pay for. Many libraries offer access to these classes for free. To see if your library does, log into your library's website and look for the digital resources area. (I live in a tiny town that doesn't offer Udemy or Coursera, but it does have LinkedIn Learning and a bunch of other offerings.)

Mango Languages

When I went searching for Udemy on my library's website, it was delighted to find that Mango Languages is available for free with my library card. On the paid site, a single language is $7.99 a month and unlimited languages is $17.99 per month. With multiple languages, you can save over $215 per year simply by going through the public library website. Amazing.

Actual Framed Works of Art

Tired of bare walls but not sure what to put on them? Some libraries in Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia and many other places offer artwork you can check out for a period of time and then switch out. A perfect way to keep your home looking fresh and updated and save on buying art to hang on your walls. Win Win.

Musical Instruments

Yes, really. Some libraries have begun offering musical instruments for their patrons to borrow, from drums to banjos to keyboards and more. If you've ever had the hankering to try out an instrument but didn't want to shell out the money.

Power Tools

Surely now we're joking, right? Nope. If you're in Los Angeles County and need a tool, head to the local library where they have a list of dozens of tools. Drills, sanders, power washers, drill bit sets, you name it. They also offer sewing machines and other sewing equipment. But it's not just L.A. County. And it's not just tools. Some libraries are offering things like baking pans, popcorn makers, telescopes, sports equipment and other useful things we may not have on hand but don't want to have to buy.

The American Library Association estimates that around 2/3 of Americans have a library card. If you don't, highly recommend you get one from your local library. It's free! You can also check the terms and conditions of libraries that aren't local to you to see if they allow non-residents to get a card. There is often a fee associated with a non-resident library card, but sometimes that might be worth it if you're traveling to a city and want to take advantage of their museum passes.

The bottom line is that libraries can be great for your bottom line with free offerings that go so far beyond just books. Yay, libraries. They really are the best invention.

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