MY TURN: Locking up books
The suggestion made at the Aug. 15 Community Library Network board of trustees meeting represents a troubling assault on intellectual freedom and the role of libraries in society. Trustee Plass's proposal to lock up certain books from the adult collection to protect minors from potential harm is a misguided attempt to impose moral censorship and control over the free exchange of ideas.
First and foremost, libraries serve as bastions of knowledge and discovery, offering a wide array of materials to cater to the diverse needs and interests of the community. The notion that books intended for adults should be locked away due to the possibility that minors might access them undermines the very purpose of a library. It suggests that some knowledge or perspectives are too dangerous to be freely available, which is a slippery slope toward censorship and the suppression of ideas. This approach not only insults the intelligence and responsibility of parents but also undermines the trust placed in adults to make informed decisions about what they and their children read.
Moreover, Trustee Hanley's suggestion to proactively label and segregate books that could be deemed harmful to minors, without any input from the community, is even more alarming. By preemptively deciding which books are "harmful," the board is essentially curating a sanitized collection that conforms to a narrow set of values, disregarding the diverse perspectives and needs of the broader community. This would create an environment of fear and control, where the free exploration of ideas is stifled by the threat of surveillance and restriction.
It is essential to remember that the role of the library is not to protect individuals from ideas but to expose them to a multitude of viewpoints, encouraging critical thinking and informed decision-making. The creation of a "smut room," as Trustee Hanley so crassly put it, would not only stigmatize certain books and their readers but also create a chilling effect on the exploration of literature and ideas that challenge the status quo. The proposed policy would require patrons to sign a log book to access the room and seeks to have cameras located at the doorway of the room.
As adults, we may encounter books that we find personally unsuitable for children, but that does not justify locking them away or making them inaccessible. The solution lies in fostering open dialogue between parents and children, encouraging discussions about content, context and the complexities of the world. Instead of locking up knowledge, we should be empowering individuals to navigate it with discernment and understanding.
In conclusion, the proposals discussed at this meeting represent a dangerous overreach that threatens the foundational principles of intellectual freedom, personal responsibility and the right to access diverse perspectives. Libraries must remain places where ideas can be freely explored, not where they are locked away under the guise of protection. The community must stand firm against these Orwellian measures and advocate for a library system that respects the rights of all its patrons to read, learn and grow without fear of censorship or judgment.
We, the undersigned library users and tax-paying citizens of Kootenai County, believe the community should be made aware of the potential actions being considered by this board. We strongly urge our fellow citizens to contact the board and advise against the approval of any policy that would result in locking books away from public access.
We remain hopeful the CLN attorney will once again caution the board that such practices not only represent government overreach but also put the district at great risk of costly and protracted litigation.
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Theresa Birkett, Katie Blank, David Botting, Patty Bordelon, Teresa Borrenpohl, Kathy Cicoria, Charles Cicoria, Alyssa Doyle, Alyssa Goodhart, Kathy Christie, Megan Dardis-Kunz, Lloyd Duman, Linda Fillios, Chris Fillios, Bob Fish, Tom Flint, Lynn Fleming, Nancy Harper, Reid Harlocker, Tom Hearn, Mike Henggeler, Kris Jamtass, Nancy Jones, Evan Koch, Richard Kohles, Steve Kurtz, Dan Kunz, Claudia Lason, Patrick Lippert, Michelle Lippert, JoSann Lien, Joyce Lider, Carol Maloney, Hugh Maloney M.D., Len Mattei, Josiah Mannion, Judy Meyer, Steve Meyer, Molly Michaud, Terry Mills, Steve Moss, Bev Moss, Lisa Nunlist, Richard Palagi, Diana Pratt, Frank Pratt, Gary Peterson M.D., Patricia Peterson, Jean Richardson, Karen Ruppel, Steve Ruppel, Deborah Rose, Faith Valente, Harry Severson, Susan Severson, Lora Whalen, Jeff Webb, Pam Webb, Christie Wood, Cheri Zao and Peter Zao.