Indiana school and library book laws
Indiana HEA 1447 requires a public school-library catalog and a process to remove obscene or harmful-to-minors material.
Indiana HEA 1447 (2023; library chapter effective January 1, 2024) requires school corporation and charter school libraries to maintain a public catalog. Parents and community members may request removal of material that is obscene or harmful to minors. The board reviews the request at its next public meeting. Libraries may not make such material available. The same legislation also narrowed some educational-purpose defenses under harmful-to-minors criminal law. It does not apply to public libraries.
Not legal advice. Confirm the enrolled text and any injunction before changing policy. LRS is informational and must not be the sole basis for removing books.
Bills and rules
| Measure | Year | Status | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| HEA 1447 School library catalog and harmful-to-minors process Public catalog; parent/community removal requests for obscene or harmful-to-minors material; board review at the next public meeting; libraries may not make such material available. | 2023 | In force | School libraries |
How BookLooky LRS addresses the concern
- Public catalogs can include LRS scores so the community sees subject matter before a removal request is filed.
- Challenge packets for the next board meeting can attach official LRS reports — still not a legal obscenity finding.
Story theme scores (including LGBTQ+ representation) measure presence in the plot. They are not warnings and are not a lawful stand-in for “harmful to minors.”