Library bill a danger to us all
My professional life has been dedicated to the education of youth. For many years, I have served as a trustee on the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Board as part of my personal contribution to our great city.
I am very proud of our beautiful city library, the amazing, dedicated staff who serve therein, and the opportunities available to all our citizens. As a trustee, it is my responsibility to assure that all citizens have access to information. I must defend our policies and state law.
A public library does not have the right to limit free speech, under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. Nor does it have the right to intervene between a parent and child as they seek information.
Children cannot have a library card without their parent's permission. Every parent must sign a release for their child before that child can check out books on their own card. Otherwise, the parent must check out the books for that minor until age 18.
No non-related parent or other individual can usurp the authority of the parent in a public library without the parent’s permission. No trustee or staff employee of the library will stand between a parent and their child and their ensuing selections.
Library staff cannot interfere in the parent/child relationship regarding reading selections. It is the law.
No single group of people may reduce the library collections to reflect their personal values at the expense of the rest of the citizenry. Fascist regimes throughout history censored the literature of its citizenry to reflect only the view of the dictator-other literature was destroyed, usually burned in the streets. Freedom of information allows us to read about all points of view, even those different from our own. We celebrate our ability to read and think for ourselves.
HB666, currently on its second reading on the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives, is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. It declares an emergency need to pass this bill due the peril the sponsors see under the current interpretations of state and federal law.
This bill threatens library employees with imprisonment if they select or distribute books that don’t match the sponsors’ definitions. We do not need this legislation; parents’ rights to protect their children are strong.
Library professionals read reviews of material before making purchases to assure the highest quality. Our attorney general will be weighing in on this legislation soon. If it passes, there will be challenges. If the law is declared unconstitutional, it will be struck and become null and void. But the cost to you the taxpayers is about $500,000 for such a process.
If you are a parent or grandparent who wishes our library to carry books that relate to your family, ask your librarian to select quality literature reflecting your wishes. Every citizen has that right. All citizens should be able to be served by our public library, even ones whose values might be different from our own.
Please encourage your legislators to vote NO on HB666. PAmador@house.Idaho.gov and JAddis@house.Idaho.gov.
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Kathleen Sayler is Chair of the Coeur d’Alene Library Board of Trustees.