MEEKER | The Meeker Library Board held its regular meeting last week, with four of the five members in attendance: Meredith Deming, Dan Olson, John D. Moffitt, and Keri Griesser. Michael Cobb was absent.
During the public comment period, several community members addressed concerns about book banning, coinciding with National Book Banning Week. Meeker High School junior Dublin Price spoke on what book banning meant to him.
“I am an avid reader. I love it [reading],” Price said. He discussed the personal impact of censorship and book banning, noting how it can affect individuals. “As a reader, it is a very personal topic for me. The motives behind it involve the active censorship of knowledge, and it’s unfortunate that most targeted books address important issues,” Price stated.
“You hear all over the world, all over the internet, about Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 by George Orwell being banned. Those books are almost prophecies now. You see censorship of knowledge, and in 1984 everyone lives in fear of having independent thoughts,” Price continued.
“We’re that close as a society—right on the edge of becoming like that. It’s appalling when I hear about that being spread in my community, in my town. It hurts me deeply; it’s almost a personal attack on what I can and can’t read,” he added.
Community member Pat Daggett also spoke during the public comment period, addressing issues with board member Dan Olson. At a previous meeting, Olson had expressed concerns with Library Director Kristina Shelby.
“One of the things he said about our bylaws was that they are in line with state statutes,” Daggett said. “I’ve attended five of the last seven meetings since Dan was appointed, and at four of those meetings, Kristina has tried respectfully to address a personal difference with him. But when she brings it up, you [Olson] haven’t accepted her perspective. You’ve said, ‘No, it’s a state statute. I have a different definition,’ but you’ve never provided that definition or a source for your understanding of the library bylaw,” Daggett continued.
Olson has expressed a desire to review all of the library’s bylaws, but Daggett disagreed with his approach. “As an ex-library board member, that’s not something you do at a board meeting,” Daggett added.
Meeker High School English teacher Kathleen Kelley also spoke during the meeting, highlighting the importance of the Meeker Public Library to both her and her students.
“I greatly appreciate the power this library has had for my students. We haven’t had a library in the high school for six years, and we used to have a librarian who actually checked out books. That makes the relationship with the Meeker Public Library extremely important, especially for students like Dublin, who are naturally curious,” Kelley said.
After the public comment period, the board moved on to other business. They approved the minutes from the last meeting and discussed repairs for the library roof, which needs attention before bad weather arrives. The board plans to review the budget at the October meeting to decide on the next steps for the roof repairs.
The next regular board meeting will be held on Oct. 28, 2024, at 5 p.m.
By JARED HENDERSON
Thank you, Mr. Price, for expressing your thoughts on the issue of banning books. Banning books due to fear, differing opinions, or controversial content is a method of control. If I disagree with a book’s content or the author, I simply choose not to read it. However, when someone else labels a book (or books) as unacceptable based on their perspective, they overstep their bounds and infringe upon my freedom to choose what I want to read. For those who advocate for less government and authority control, book banning is equally restrictive.