Cd’A Library trustees vote to dissolve regional library consortium

COEUR d’ALENE — Coeur d’Alene Public Library trustees voted Wednesday in favor of dissolving a regional library consortium, though a final decision in the matter won’t come until July at the earliest.

The Cooperative Information Network is a group of 13 North Idaho and eastern Washington libraries and library districts that share their collections. In January, the consortium agreed to reorganize as Inland Northwest Libraries, a name that members said more clearly expresses the consortium’s function and purpose. 

“It was operating in good faith for 40 years,” said Coeur d’Alene Public Library Director Elizabeth Westenburg. “It’s not operating the same way anymore.” 

Last week, representatives agreed to bring a proposal to dissolve the existing consortium before their respective trustees ahead of the consortium’s July meeting.

Four out of five Coeur d’Alene Public Library trustees voted to dissolve the consortium. Trustee Ruth Pratt wasn’t present for Wednesday’s meeting. 

If the consortium is dissolved and reformed, it’s unclear whether all current member libraries will take part. 

Some member libraries have expressed reservations about the Community Library Network’s updated policy for minor library cardholders. CLN includes the libraries in Athol, Harrison, Hayden, Pinehurst, Post Falls, Rathdrum and Spirit Lake. 

The updated policy states that minor cards “cannot be used to reserve physical or electronic materials from other libraries in the Cooperative Information Network” and bar minor library patrons from accessing material deemed “harmful to minors,” regardless of the wishes of their parents or guardians. 

Christopher Brannon, IT coordinator for the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, said CLN’s updated policies will affect the consortium as a whole because the member libraries share a system for patrons to place holds on materials. 

“They’re trying to implement some stuff to really pull back on what their patrons can do,” he said. “It’s going to be really confusing. If I’m having a hard time explaining this to anybody else, I don’t know how we’re supposed to explain it to the patrons."

In May, CLN trustees adopted an updated materials selection and acquisition policy that redefines “materials inappropriate for minors” as “obscene content or propaganda regarding illegal activity.” 

Under the updated policy, material containing such content “shall be excluded from selection and acquisition for the collection curated for minors,” though “age-appropriate materials with serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic, religious or political value for minors may be exempt. 

“The governing body of the Community Library Network is determining what kids can read,” said Trustee Steve McCrea. “It kind of makes me sick to my stomach.” 

Trustee Katie Sayler suggested that CLN’s updated policies go beyond the statutory duties of library district trustees. 

“It’s taking away parental rights and we don’t support that,” Sayler said.

Brannon expressed a similar sentiment. 

“As a parent, if my child was still in the system, I’d be upset,” he said. “I wouldn’t want that restriction. I want to parent my child. I don’t want them to parent my child. They’re overstepping.”