MEEKER | The Meeker Public Library Board held its monthly meeting last Wednesday in the library’s community room. All five board members attended the meeting.
The public comment period drew community members concerned about book banning and a draft collections policy up for review.
Dr. Bob Dorsett expressed support for the draft policy, explaining that it complies with library law and aligns with the practices that are set by the American Library Association.
“Libraries provide free, open access to information and ideas—all ideas,” Dorsett said. “The draft you’re considering appropriately recognizes parents’ rights and responsibilities to monitor materials available to their children.” Dr. Dorsett said, adding, “It’s a parent’s responsibility to decide what their child can and can’t read. I would also point out that this draft reflects the wider community’s beliefs, contrary to other statements. For example, in recent school board elections, candidates who supported free access were elected by large margins, and the candidates with more restrictive views were defeated.”
High school English teacher Kathleen Kelley also supported the draft policy, stating that as elected officials, the board should uphold the First Amendment.
“Parents’ guidance is essential, but so is the guidance of our community,” Kelley said. “I strongly believe in having a broad collection where our students, children, and community can appreciate a range of ideas, from Aristotle to Copernicus to even some of the literature that Mr. Moffitt mentioned in his letter to the editor,” stated Kelley.
Community member Pat Daggett recalled a previous group who tried to ban books out of concern for a 12-year-old boy, noting that many objections came from individuals who hadn’t read the book in question.
“There’s a lot of fear, but it’s important to remember that what’s being worried about may not actually be happening here,” Daggett said.
Following public comments, the board moved to approve the previous meeting minutes. Board member Dan Olson raised concerns about inconsistencies in the August minutes posted online.
“I found multiple versions of the August minutes, and one posted on the website was incorrect,” Olson said. He recommended Library Director Kristina Selby streamline the process of uploading board minutes.
“I want to make a recommendation that we clean this process up, just because there’s so much opportunity for both the community and us to get confused about what’s happening. I also think we grab our attorney and work through the process of how we discuss and work through these minutes,” Olson said.
The board tabled the discussion until the Nov. 6 work session.
The board also discussed the draft collections policy, with Olson raising concerns about the library’s weeding policy for removing outdated or unused books.
“The idea of weeding is to remove books that are not being used by the community, books that may not be relevant, books that are black and white and really want to see colored trees, we can do that now,” Olson said.
“The first step is to make weeding a part of policy we need a policy that states all policies should be approved by the library board whether its governing board or advisory board,” continued Olson.
In new business, the board considered purchasing seven computers to replace outdated ones at an estimated cost of $23,000. Board member John Moffitt opposed the expenditure, arguing that library computers are often used by kids who are using them for gaming.
The board approved the expenditure with a 4-1 vote with the only no coming from Moffit.
The board will hold a work session on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m., which is open to the public. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Nov. 30.
By JARED HENDERSON
