Jo Godwin once said, “A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”
This quote seems especially fitting now, considering the current political climate surrounding libraries and librarians. There is, it seems, a war on libraries as library boards have joined school boards as the newest front in America’s ongoing “culture war.” Wyoming hasn’t been shielded from this, but rather seems to be trying to make itself a leading voice.
Take, for example, the recent development in Campbell County where the library board voted 4-1 to oust Director Terri Lesley. Lesley had served as director for 11 years and worked for the Campbell County Library System for 27 years in total. Though the board didn’t give any reason as to her termination, Lesley has said it was due to her refusal to enforce a new policy guided by the Florida-based organization MassResistance and which dictated the removal or relocation of books on sex education and LGBTQ issues intended for children and teens.
According to the Gillette News-Record, around 250 people were in attendance at the special meeting in which she was terminated. It was estimated the majority were in attendance to support Lesley, with approximately 20 siding with the library board. The termination of the now former director comes after two years of intense meetings of the Campbell County Library Board and the Board of Campbell County Commissioners and repeated challenges of books.
In Lander, Nate Shoutis resigned as the Lander Valley High School librarian at the end of the last school year. Shoutis, who graduated from Lander himself, cited a growing climate of hate towards LGBTQ students according to WyoFile. The loss, it appears, is the school’s as students described him as being both caring and “universally accepting.”
These recent developments are troubling. Libraries have always been more than silent mausoleums filled with books. Vartan Gregorian put it best when he said “The library is a symbol of opportunity, citizenship, equality, freedom of speech and freedom of thought, and hence, is a symbol of democracy itself.” They are a communal gathering place, welcoming of all people regardless of age, race, creed, religion or gender.
They instill a love of reading in children with story hour, promote creativity with maker spaces and provide access to the internet for those who don’t have it at home. Much like public schools, they’re a place where people have the opportunity to learn new things and expand their horizons.
This current climate around libraries, especially in Wyoming, is confusing. Growing up, I was always under the impression that Wyoming had a “live and let live” mentality. I was also raised with the belief that chief among conservative principles were personal responsibility, individual rights and limited government. Yet, it seems those principles aren’t even considered with these current issues.
If a parent doesn’t want their child to read something because they disagree with it or don’t like it, that’s their right as a parent. If they don’t want my child to read something for those same reasons, they are taking away my right as a parent. If someone gets onto a library board to enforce their personal viewpoints, that hardly seems in line with the ideals of limited government.
Coinciding with all of this is a dramatic increase in the number of book challenges, according to the American Library Association. Book challenges are not unheard of and have included titles ranging from Dr. Seuss’ “Hop On Pop” to L. Frank Baum’s “Wizard of Oz” to J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter.” Last year saw a trend unlike that seen in the past. The number of challenges to library books and resources rose from 729 in 2021 to 1,269 in 2022. Additionally, the number of unique—or individual—titles which were challenged rose from 1,858 in 2021 to 2,571 in 2022.
Approximately 90% of those were attempts to censor multiple titles using lists compiled by what the American Library Association (ALA) called censorship groups for the specific purpose of book challenges. According to the ALA, the vast majority of titles included in these lists were written by or about members of the LGBTQ community and people of color.
This despite the fact that nearly most children and young adult literature is lacking representation. In a 2018 study from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center of Education, more books featuring an animal main character were published than those with a main character that was a person of color. Additionally, a poll commissioned by Wonderbly in 2022 found that 60% of children lost a love of reading if they didn’t feel represented in the books they were reading.
If the library is truly a symbol of democracy, then it must be there for the service of the community. For a public library, this includes the homeschooling mother, the high school graduate using the computer to look for a job or the retired man who likes to visit with people. For a school library, maybe it’s the young adult who has questions he’s afraid to ask, the advanced reader who needs to keep his mind active or the student just learning how to handle chapter books.
A library, above all, should be a space that is safe and welcoming, allows the free exchange of ideas and challenges worldviews. It can’t do that if every book which people disagree with or dislike is removed.
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