ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Public libraries in several states are pulling the racy romance trilogy “Fifty Shades of Grey” from shelves or deciding not to order the best seller at all, saying it’s too steamy or too poorly written.

Banning a book still carries weight because libraries play such a vital role in people’s access to books.

“When a book is removed from the shelf, folks who can’t afford a Nook or a Kindle, the book is no longer available to them,” said Deborah Caldwell Stone, the deputy director of the American Library Association’s office for intellectual freedom.