CLN: People deserve access

Growing up in North Idaho, I learned about the world through books. Stories encouraged me to be compassionate toward others and challenged me to understand the world in new ways. Reading meant so much to me that I became a novelist.

As a reader, writer and Idahoan, I’m sad to see how the Community Library Network board is limiting access to books through an extreme interpretation of Idaho’s already extreme library law. The board has voted to move materials to adults-only rooms and eliminate all-access library cards for minors, and one board member even proposed an acquisition policy that would institute dramatic and prejudiced restrictions on the books CLN libraries can acquire.

Children and teens deserve access to a broad range of books that represent the spectrum of human identity and experience, including stories of LGBTQ+ people and people of color. Reading stories that reflect their own lives helps children feel a sense of belonging, and reading other people’s stories helps them develop empathy and critical thinking. Books that address difficult topics such as mental health and abuse can empower kids to ask for help, and even save their lives.

Robust library collections are especially important for kids living in rural areas, many of whom rely on libraries for access to books. Moving, restricting or removing books from a library based upon a small faction’s personal opinions infringes upon the rights of all families to access and choose what’s right for their own kids.

I urge my neighbors in Kootenai County to attend the Feb. 20 CLN board meeting to speak out against these restrictive policies and speak up for the freedom to read.

TARA KARR ROBERTS

Moscow