Elmhurst Library Board Won't Change Policy on M-Rated Video Games

Members of Elmhurst Public Library Board Tuesday refused to create further restrictions or review for their carrying of M-rated video games, overriding the concerns of a local advocacy group, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to the paper, board members said they could find no scientific link between the games and violent behavior, and that any further restrictions to the policy would infringe on First Amendment freedom of expression. (The library's current policy requires people checking out M-rated games to provide ID proving they are at least 17 years old.)

The board did adopt a "revised materials selection policy," the paper said, but it included the language: "material shall not be removed from the Library collection solely because the ideas or topics presented may be objectionable to an individual resident or group of residents."

"We are in a culture of violence, but it doesn't start in the public library," board member Jan Vanek told the paper.

The library currently has 129 M-rated games, checked out about 20 times per year on average, the Tribune said.

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune website.