Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – Visitors of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library and its other branches will see some new restrictions on checking out materials and accessing certain areas of the facility.
The library system announced that patrons under the age of 18 are now subject to operational changes as the result of a new policy rollout aimed at complying with Arkansas Act 372.
A news release stated that the policies limit the services and physical spaces available to children and teenagers.
The 2023 state law, which recently went into full effect following a July 2026 federal appeals court ruling, establishes criminal penalties for librarians who furnish restricted materials to minors.
State Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro), the primary sponsor of Act 372, told JRN that while the legislation requires libraries to develop policies regarding material access, it does not mandate specific operational rules like banning minors from bookstores or self-checkout kiosks. Sullivan stated that the restrictions chosen by the local library system may be “more restrictive than what the law requires.”
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Under the newly implemented guidelines, the following restrictions will be in place:
- Restricted Checkout Areas: Anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited from checking out materials from any section of the library outside of the designated Youth Services Library.
- Ban on Self-Checkout: Anyone under the age of 18 can no longer use self-checkout kiosks and must process all borrowed items directly at the main Circulation Desk.
- DVD Limitations: All DVD checkouts are now exclusively restricted to adults 18 and older. Children’s and teens’ library cards can no longer be used to borrow DVDs of any kind.
- Bookstore Access Revoked: Anyone under the age of 18 is completely barred from entering or purchasing items from the Friends of the Library Bookstore.
Administrators acknowledged that the sudden shifts will likely prompt questions from the public, noting that staff will provide additional information to patrons upon request.
In the meantime, the library is asking for the community’s cooperation and patience as staff members navigate the implementation of the new state-mandated rules.
Clarification: More context regarding Act 372 regarding how libraries choose to implement policies under the law, including a comment from its primary sponsor, Sullivan, has been added to the article.
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