Library records shall be kept confidential and released only by court order, as is stated in Iowa Code Section 22.7. At a recent Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting, the policy that does not allow anyone the circulation records of those over the age of 10 was questioned. During the Washington County Public Library Association’s annual report and funding request, Supervisor Jack Seward said he’d received an email from a library patron who was upset that the library wouldn’t provide the information of what his child had been looking at or checking out at the library. Seward questioned if intellectual freedom trumps parental rights, saying, “Just be aware that if you’ve got some policies that kind of go against our beliefs it could affect your funding.”

Washington Public Library trustee Rachel Nicola explains that the library policy is in accordance with state law and it is based on the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. She tells KCII News, “In 1939 the American Library Association drafted a document called ‘Library Bill of Rights.’ It continues to be affirmed by libraries across the nation. It says, ‘The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services… One of those six policies is: A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.'” Nicola adds, “The library is not a surrogate parent, deciding who may read what, based on any of these qualifications. Washington Free Public Library trustees adopted this as our mission statement: ‘Washington Free Public Library believes in the freedom to read and learn, and the freedom to compare and express ideas. WFPL strives to provide educational, cultural, and social enrichment for all residents of the city of Washington and surrounding areas.'” There is a procedure in place to register an objection of a certain item, which can be reviewed and may result in it being removed.