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Mom goes viral after sharing her experience with Idaho's baffling new public library law

"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, 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 now-viral TikTok video, 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 doesn’t blame the “nice and patient” librarians for this mess, who seem 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, here “heart broke” and 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 at only a month in, Bill 710 has already drawn passionate criticism. Just last week, 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.

As Anderson rightly puts it, "Thank you to our Idaho librarians for putting up with this nonsense." And folks were equally right to let this story be a reminder to vote in November…lest we slip into a real life Fahrenheit 451 situation.

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Writer sneaks 50 journals containing her life story into book stores across the America

Spoiler alert: It's how she met her future husband!

Writer sneaks 50 journals containing her life story into book stores across the America
www.tiktok.com

A burst of creativity and some serendipity changed the course of her life.

"If Found Please Read" author and creator Madison White started her writing career with 50 handwritten journals and a plan to sneak them into book stores across the nation. She saved about $2,000 from her waitressing job and decided to cross the country on a Greyhound bus on her self-proclaimed book tour. What she didn't realize was that her life would change before this adventure ever really started.

Her journals include what Madison refers to as "ramblings." Unedited, unapologetic expressions of her life. In her writings, she tackles issues such as depression and what it was like to leave home, focusing on growing up and refusing to. She was going for raw, unedited and real.

At the start of each journal, Madison included her contact information in addition to a disclaimer and introduction to her work. She wrote that the first chapter may be hers, but that the second is the reader's—an open invitation for them to tell their own life story. The point of this mission was to connect with strangers.

A few days before her planned departure, she went to a show and afterwards chatted up one of the musicians, explaining her "If Found Please Read" project and the journey she was about to set out on. A luck would have it, his band was breaking up and he was looking for renewed inspiration with his music. He invited himself along on her tour to play in coffee shops and bars as they traveled. He also happened to drive a Toyota Scion—a step up from the Greyhound bus.


@iffoundpleaseread

It’s just too much story! Part 3 after work and the kids go to sleep 😬 #itreallyhappenedthisway #iffoundpleaseread #streetlibraryproject #everyonehasastory #booktok #journal #story #guerillapublishing #storyforthegrankids

Madison couldn't refuse that sweet set of wheels, and together they traveled across the country, clocking up 18,000 miles in his car. Her new friend played in coffee shops and Madison snuck her journals into bookstores, and at night they'd lay down the back seats and sleep in truck stops and parking lots. The first of Madison's journals was found when they were passing through Portland. She received a text that read, "Is this real"?

Madison was jumping—someone had found her book. After back and forth texts, this complete stranger opened up to her saying how he related to Madison's leaving home early because he too left home when he was young: his parents didn't accept him coming out. Madison had embarked on this project as a way to connect with people and it had already proven to be a powerful tool.

As they continued traveling, Madison received more phone calls and texts, even meeting some of her perfect strangers in person. A total of 30 of her initial 50 journals were found and she deemed the trip a success. Oh yeah, and you may have guessed this already, but that musician who came on the road with her? Well they're now married and have been for several years.

But here's the really exciting thing: Madison's starting it back up. This time, she's on a mission to leave 1,000 handwritten journals for perfect strangers to find. You never know where they're going to turn up! Happy hunting.

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Joy

People are sharing heartwarming stories of libraries being safe spaces and it's so wholesome

Photo courtesy of Canva, @schlaalfan/Twitter, @Amigo2Todos/Twitter

Libraries are one of the greatest inventions humankind has ever come up with.

Human civilization has its upsides and its downsides. On the one hand, we've built incredible cities filled with amazing buildings where people work and play and are entertained, we have infrastructure that connects people and places, and we enjoy conveniences that previous generations could only dream about. On the other, we have environment-destroying excess and capitalistic greed pushing us toward widespread inequities and injustices.

And then we have libraries.

The public library is one of the greatest inventions humankind has ever imagined and actually made happen. Libraries are perfect in concept and exceptional in practice. The idea that we ought to plop a building full of books to borrow wherever groups of people live is beautiful in its simplicity and the fact that we've actually succeeded in doing it is somewhat miraculous. Libraries are something humans have created that has stood the test of time and that we can be truly, universally proud of. There is nothing but upside to a calm, quiet place where any and all people can hang out and read, without having to pay anyone anything.

A thread on Twitter celebrating the wonderfulness of libraries illustrates this point perfectly.

"Today a woman with developmental disabilities came into the library, and she said she was lost," wrote Twitter user @schaalfan. "She didn't know her address, but her phone number was in her pocket on a piece of paper with Elmo on it. She kept saying, 'The library is a safe place.'"

"We called and her guardian came right over," they continued. "Apparently this happens pretty regularly. They even stayed long enough for her to check out some new books and Sesame Street DVDs. The library is a safe place indeed."

Indeed. The post prompted others to share their own stories of libraries being safe places for them, and it's enough to warm even the hardest of hearts.

For people who grew up in dysfunctional homes, the library can be a safe haven of calm and kindness.

For people with disabilities, it can be a safe place where people are patient and kind.

For people lacking financial means, the library is a space that provides free education and free entertainment, as well as a free indoor place to go.

People also celebrated librarians—the stewards of these wonderful places and the books and people who reside inside them. Librarians are right up there with teachers in the "best" category.

Libraries and librarians deserve all the love we can give them. When so much seems wrong with the world, we at least know we got this one thing right.

(And some people also threw a little love for Elmo into the thread, too, for good measure. "Sesame Street" is almost as wonderful as libraries, after all.)

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This viral library isn't all it's cracked up to be. But it's still stunning and important.

China just built a new, futuristic library. And while it's not quite as amazing as it seems, it's still an architectural marvel.

Real books are making a comeback. Yes, everyone loves a good ebook — or even better, a good audio book — but nothing beats the look and feel of a real, honest-to-God book in your hands.

Need proof that print books aren't going away anytime soon? Just check out the new (and lavish) Tianjin Binhai Library, located outside of Beijing. It's an incredible sight to behold.

We're used to seeing impeccably architected libraries, but the appeal is often historic. After just a three-year construction period, the Tianjin Binhai Library is bringing libraries into the 21st century and taking its place among the world's most beautiful.

Well. Sort of.

All photos by Ossip van Duivenbode/MVRDV. Used with permission.

The new library is 36,000 square feet, covering five stories floor to ceiling. But there's a catch.

The main room is touted as being large enough to hold a staggering 1.2 million books. Unfortunately, a miscommunication between the architectural firm and local authorities led the stunning main hall to be approved only for sitting, reading, and gathering ... but not actually storing books.

(The Chinese government has never been the biggest champion of free information.)

Sadly, those bookshelves that line the walls and stretch for thousands of feet, writhing and winding their way around the entire structure, are only for show.

If you look carefully, you'll notice the majority of the books in the library's photos are actually flat decals stuck to the wall. The few real books shown were placed only for promotion and will also be removed soon. The sections of the library that are approved for storage will only hold a couple hundred thousand books.

The giant orb in the center, one of the building's most distinguishing features, has earned the library its nickname, "The Eye of Binhai."

Inside the sphere is an auditorium.

At least that part is real!

Cleverly tucked away behind the stacks are reading rooms, work spaces, and offices.

You could seriously get lost in this library — and a good story or two — for days.

As of October 2017, this library is open to all.

These look like concept renderings, but they're real photos of the actual building as it stands today.

The library's going viral for its unreal architectural beauty, and though it turned out to be a little bit of a disappointment, it's still symbolic of something important.

Worldwide, more and more libraries are shutting down every year. It's sad to think that the places for people to pick up a real book are dwindling — but it's important to remember that libraries are so much more than just the tomes they hold.

They help revitalize communities, promote literacy in under-served neighborhoods, and often offer special programs that aid children, the elderly, disabled people, immigrants, and other groups.

Research is split on whether physical books have any advantage over other forms of reading. But as a community staple, libraries are irreplaceable.

It's awesome to see a new one pop up while so many are closing down, even if it ultimately is a little more surface than substance. People are still excited by the beauty of the building and going in droves to see it in person.

Hopefully the excitement over the Tianjin Binhai Library will inspire more cities around the world to step up their own library game.

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