Across Iowa, generations of readers share the joy of going to the bookmobile. Now, HF2324 could ban the bookmobile from visiting schools and childcare facilities. Bookmobiles are not a fringe idea. In many cases, bookmobiles are the foundation of rural library systems.

Iowa House File 2324 (2026) would prohibit schools from hosting public library bookmobiles if students are allowed to check out age-appropriate books. The bill would also block partnerships that allow students to use school ID cards to access public library materials.

HF2324 turns bookmobiles and library cards into political targets.

In rural communities, the bookmobile isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It is infrastructure. For many families, the bookmobile was their first independent connection to reading. For some, it is the only consistent access point to reading. That story repeats across counties and the decades. In other words, this bill targets the partnerships that have expanded reading access across Iowa for generations.

There is no documented crisis caused by bookmobiles. There is no data showing that shared school-library ID partnerships harm student safety. There is no evidence that restricting access to books improves reading outcomes. Yet HF2324 would make these longstanding partnerships illegal.

Please join the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services, the national association for bookmobile drivers and staff, along with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, EveryLibrary, Authors Against Book Bans, and right-to-read advocates like Penguin Random House, in calling on the Iowa Legislature to reject HF2324. 

This bill criminalizes something deeply woven into Iowa’s civic and educational life. Reasonable people can disagree about policy details, but HF2324 is not a modest adjustment. Iowans understand common sense. And common sense says you don’t improve literacy by banning the bookmobile. 

Tell your legislators to Vote No on HF2324. Protect Iowa students' access and literacy.