(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Library oversight proposals stall as first legislative deadline approaches [1]
['Robin Opsahl', 'More From Author', '- February']
Date: 2024-02-13
Bills focused on oversight and funding for Iowa public libraries may not advance past the first major legislative deadline for the 2024 session, but library advocates said there is still reason to be concerned about the future of public libraries in Iowa.
Lawmakers have introduced and discussed multiple proposals related to public libraries in recent weeks. Senate Study Bill 3168, passed in subcommittee Monday, would allow city councils to oversee and change hiring practices of library directors, and to use certain library tax money by ordinance without a referendum.
Under current law, library boards make decisions on their local director, policies and spending. City councils have the ability to submit a proposal to make changes to the library board or about their decisions, which must then receive approval from voters.
House Study Bill 678, passed earlier in February, was a similar bill but had a larger scope, potentially giving city councils the ability to override library boards on library policies, including book selection, without requiring a public vote.
Library employees and advocates noted the legislation would mean the override of voters’ decisions, pointing to a 2023 vote in Pella. Voters there narrowly rejected a resolution that would have given the city council authority to make library policy changes. That resolution followed the Pella library board’s 2021 decision to keep the book “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe on its shelves.
At the subcommittee meeting on SSB 3168, library advocates said they appreciated that the legislation was more limited but remained concerned. Dave Baker, who runs the Iowa travel blog the 29th State, told lawmakers that he has worked with more than 200 libraries across the state, and he was worried the bill could be a “gateway” toward overreach into local library affairs and decisions.
“I don’t know ordinances, I don’t know civic code, I’m not well informed on that,” Baker said. “But I can tell you right now, … that a lot of the libraries that support these communities want nothing but the very best for their citizens. And I’ve seen that time and time again. And one last comment, city councils are wonderful around the state. But I can say, having worked with them as well, they do not — especially in some of our small communities — have the resources to handle this on top of their other responsibilities.”
Though both bills were passed with Republican support through subcommittees, neither bill has been brought up by their respective chamber’s Local Government Committee.
Legislation introduced in January, Senate Study Bill 3131, would have allowed city councils to change the makeup and duties of local library boards, but also would have removed state law requirements that local governments levy taxes for public libraries. The legislation was not scheduled for a subcommittee.
Sam Helmick with the Iowa Library Association said the bill removing levy requirements would have dismantled public library funding across the state, and “would have immediately resulted in the closure of several small and rural libraries.” Helmick said while there are specific situations where conflicts arise between community members and their local libraries, the legislation proposed would have broad impacts on state libraries and communities.
Helmick said the conversation on bills related to library oversight have shown that Iowans are overwhelmingly supportive of their local libraries continuing to operate as they are.
“Iowans love their libraries,” Helmick said. “They show up, the community shows up for the libraries that serve them to support those libraries. And we will continue to be a free people who read freely, as long as we are vigilant and keep our eyes on bills that are somewhat going too far when they are legislating to the exception rather than the rule.”
Rep. Shannon Latham, the chair of the House Local Government Committee, said in a statement that lawmakers are “running out of time this session” to move forward on legislation, but that she was appreciative of the conversations that have come up as a result of bills related to public libraries.
“Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation floating around about this bill,” Latham said in a statement. “The goal was never to give the cities control over what books libraries make available. However, it makes sense for cities to have a level of authority over the business aspects of running a library since they are a part of city government.”
Though legislation related to library oversight has stalled as the funnel deadline approaches, Helmick said they see these discussions coming from a lack of awareness about libraries’ role in local communities, and about intellectual freedom and First Amendment protections.
“You couple that with the fact that the first iteration of this bill sought to no longer require funding for public libraries, and you have to ask, ‘what is the motivation,’ outside of potentially dismantling public libraries as they have existed in this state for decades?” Helmick said. “And if that is the question on the table, then I think we need more transparency from those who are concerned.”
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[1] Url:
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/02/13/library-oversight-proposals-stall-as-first-legislative-deadline-approaches/
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