MY TURN: Are we losing our public libraries?

It has been a tremendous honor to serve on the Community Library Network board of trustees to guide and grow public libraries in seven North Idaho communities — Hayden, Post Falls, Rathdrum, Spirit Lake, Harrison, Athol and Pinehurst — for over 30 years. These communities have a long history of library support and public investment, even as times change.

In my time on the board, CLN fulfilled its original promise to build a network of community libraries for this district. This structure shares administrative and purchasing functions to cut costs. It keeps operations sustainable and puts community at the heart of services. As a result, CLN libraries are not just surviving; they are thriving. 

A wide variety of people across North Idaho enjoy and rely on CLN’s free public library services. Families come to story times and choose books to take home. Students, including many homeschoolers, work on assignments. Locals check out books on gardening, health, auto repair and recipes; and wander the stacks to find great reads on history, science, business and summer enjoyment. 

While it has taken decades to build shared operating systems, the value of CLN’s network is clear. Business is booming. Last year 1,238,786 items were checked out. People counters logged 446,701 visits. Public computers are in high demand (238,786 sessions last year). CLN’s free high-speed Wi-Fi (even in the parking lot 24/7) is a lifeline for many rural residents. Use of downloadable books, audiobooks, movies and music is soaring. When the January storm damaged Athol and Post Falls buildings, residents could seamlessly access all services at other CLN locations.   

How we governed is just as important as what we got done. 

In the past, library materials were selected based on community requests, not on personal board beliefs. The “Library Cards for Minors” policy gave parents and caregivers, not the board, the power to decide what children can read. The 2022-2025 Strategic Plan (the library’s business plan) was developed with ideas from hundreds of local people and organizations. The public crafted the current mission statement: We Empower Discovery. 

Former boards honored the letter of the law, in particular First Amendment protections of free speech and established laws that explicitly prohibit government agencies from regulating and restricting free speech. 

We complied with Idaho’s Open Meetings Act, which protects the public against “back room” deals. Board discussions followed established rules that ensure all board members can engage in deliberations and civil discussions.    

This kind of community-driven, open and transparent decision-making disappeared with the 2023 board trustee elections.   

Over the past year, a new “majority” (Ottosen, Hanley and Plass) called 43 meetings with agendas dominated by policy revisions related to their singular claim that our libraries have “hundreds of obscene books.” To date, this has not been substantiated. In fact, in my time on the board, including this past year, CLN’s long-standing policy that allows residents to challenge books in the collection has only seen a handful of complaints. 

Because of this singular focus, this board is not doing what they should be doing. One of most critical board duties is to manage the budget. As of June 15, less than an hour of board time (and public notice) has been devoted to the annual budget. There has been no open board discussion of the consultant study recommendations for salary adjustments. There have been no discussions on facility planning. 

I also have grave concerns that this board is doing what it shouldn’t be doing.   

One of the first actions of the new “majority” board was to hire an attorney with limited public law experience.   

Open Meetings Act compliance is at question when board members show up at meetings with draft policy documents they all seem to know a lot about, documents the library director and I have never seen, documents that apparently haven’t been reviewed by counsel. When I ask for sources, I get no answers. One draft even included legal definitions from Oklahoma, which makes me wonder why we are not working within Idaho law. 

The board’s poor handling of recent insurance claims makes me seriously question if they know how to protect, much less grow, public assets.   

This board crows about their election victory but seems to have no interest in the decades of community investment in shared services or input from residents, taxpayers and our 65,000 library card holders. 

This board shut down my ability to govern responsibly and to represent the whole community. I was routinely silenced at board meetings, not allowed to question legal counsel on several important issues and denied access to full contracts being voted on.   

Board discussions have devolved into demonizing people’s reading choices and lifestyles. One board member pounds his fists on the table to assert his authority.

The extremely competent library director resigned. 

I cannot be part of a public board that doesn’t respect the First Amendment, micromanages beyond the scope of legal board duties, operates without transparency and doesn’t govern with the interests of the entire community in mind.   

I did not leave my elected post without a fight. I didn’t just show up, I shared solutions and viewpoints based on decades of library board experience. I even offered to host library tours for board members who apparently have never used the library.   

I will always champion public libraries in North Idaho.

I won’t be silenced.

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Katie Blank is a former Community Library Network board member.