LIBRARIES: CLN board vs. intellectual freedom

At its March 19 meeting, the Community Library Network Board quietly removed two phrases from its trustee job description: that trustees are “advocates of intellectual freedom” and that they “shall have knowledge of the principles of intellectual freedom and access to information.”

Read that again.

Why would a library board strip out its commitment to intellectual freedom — the very principle libraries are built on? Intellectual freedom is not an abstract concept. It is what allows individuals to read, explore, and engage with a wide range of ideas without restriction, censorship, or surveillance. It is essential to a functioning democracy.

Idaho law recognizes this. Code 33-2701 affirms that access to information has a “critical impact” on education, economic development, an informed electorate, and overall quality of life.

So, what does it mean when a library board removes that principle from its guiding document? Look at the pattern. At an Aug. 15, 2024, meeting, Trustee Tim Plass proposed moving certain books into a locked room accessible only to adults — and suggested monitoring access with cameras. That is not a defense of intellectual freedom. It is a move toward restriction and control.

Removing these principles is not symbolic. It signals a shift away from open access and toward gate keeping. Libraries should be places of discovery, not suspicion.

The question is no longer theoretical: Do we want our libraries guided by a commitment to freedom of thought — or governed by fear of it?

NANCY HARPER

Coeur d’Alene