MY TURN: Consortium dissolves to boot CLN out
I recently attended a truly extraordinary rendition of the operetta "The Pirates of Penzance," put on by the Spokane Valley Summer Theater. I believe the lyrics from one of the production's songs are most fitting with relation to the Cooperative Information Network's (CIN) vote-taking to consider dissolving the inter-library consortium. To quote the songwriting duo, Gilbert and Sullivan, "a paradox, a paradox, a most ingenious paradox …" You see, the CIN board was voting to dissolve or not to dissolve a non-existent entity. Over the past several months, search as some may, no documentation has been discovered to substantiate that the CIN entity was ever legally established, hence, the Community Library Network's (CLN) only logical voting option, to dissolve or not to dissolve this inchoate organization, was to "abstain."
It is my belief that the real reason the consortium voted to dissolve itself was, essentially, to boot the CLN out, because the CLN is complying with both the letter and spirit of Idaho law, the Children's School and Library Protection Act (18-1517B). The CLN's board has worked diligently to take reasonable steps to restrict access by minors to material harmful to minors, as required by this law. Apparently, this action has not been sitting well with the CIN board.
Are the CLN's actions and policies draconian? Not at all. We have simply moved material harmful to children out of the children's areas of our libraries and are relocating it to the newly established "Mature Content Collection" area of the library. That material is off limits to minors, whether a CLN patron or a CIN patron. However, if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, minors are welcome to browse these shelves or have their parent or legal guardian check the material out for them. This is true "parental control." CLN is working on restricting minor's library card's ability to order from non-CLN libraries as we have no assurance other CIN libraries are adhering to Idaho law with similar fervency, coupled with the fact several CIN libraries are located in Washington and are not subject to Idaho law. But minors MAY use their library cards to physically, in-person, check material out from CIN libraries outside CLN, as each library is directly responsible for the material it distributes.
Despite the absence of an appropriately legal entity, the consortium has been operating successfully for just over four decades and has served the communities well with its material-sharing arrangement. It seemed like a win-win for most participating libraries and their patrons. The CLN representatives at the CIN meetings had expressed a preference to remain in the consortium. In light of this impending dissolution, fitting questions the public may ask are, "why was the CIN board so unwilling to work with CLN in light of the benefits CLN's extensive collection and substantial revenue contribution makes available to them?" And, "why was the CIN board so willing to disenfranchise approximately 101,691 co-op patrons?"
While the community laments the eradication of a local valued treasure, this brings to mind other lyrics from the satirical operetta's aria … "For I am a pirate king! And it is, it is a glorious thing to be a pirate king!" Or, perhaps, could it be a pirate "queen?" CIN's decision to dissolve the cooperative agreement may be overturned if a sufficient number of community members make their disappointment known. Consider contacting CIN board chair Meagan Mize at: meagan@westbonnerlibrary.org.
Policy creation and campaign themes of the CLN board majority have been related to protecting children from harmful material. That is what the community voted us into office to do; that is what we've done, and that is what we will continue doing … "Making Libraries Safe Again!"
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Tom Hanley is trustee and chairman of the Community Library Network.