Latest news with #HB710
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's running? Boise-area's first library election since ‘harmful materials' law
Libraries in Idaho have been a site for heated debate over what books minors should be able to access. Since July, a state law allows patrons to challenge and even sue libraries if they can prove a minor obtained 'harmful materials.' The debate is now on the ballot in two Ada County library districts. For the second time in two years, defenders of library collections face off against advocates of greater scrutiny over books available to children. The election on Tuesday, May 20, will determine library trustees in two of the three Boise-area districts in Ada County: Meridian and the Ada County Free Library District. Two incumbents in the third district, Kuna, are unopposed and will therefore be retained without an election. The new law has triggered dozens of book challenges — and two lawsuits contesting the law. In the Treasure Valley, 23 books were relocated this fall within the Eagle library, while requests to remove or relocate four books in Meridian were rebuffed in recent months. Library trustees in these independent districts, unlike those in city-run libraries like Eagle and Boise, are elected rather than appointed and can levy taxes on residents. Trustees are responsible for determining the district's budget, evaluating the library director, and establishing policies. Trustees serve either four-year or six-year terms, and voters cast votes for two trustees in elections every other year. And despite political contention surrounding libraries — Idaho's Republican lawmakers spent years trying to pass harmful materials legislation before the most recent, HB710, was signed last year — library trustees are nonpartisan seats. Two years ago, the last time library seats were up for grabs in Meridian, book restrictions were at center of the race. Two incumbents, Destinie Hart and Josh Cummings, faced challengers who said they wanted increased scrutiny over books accessible to minors. One challenger, Xavier Torres, had helped to found a community group that sought to dissolve the library district altogether — a petition that failed just two months before the election. Hart and Cummings handily held onto their seats, and the group, Concerned Citizens of Meridian, hasn't appeared to rear its head since. Now, another two key players in the 2023 effort to dissolve the district are running, this time against the board's chair, Jeff Kohler, and newcomer Garrett Castle. Phil Reynolds and Mike Hon were core members of Concerned Citizens of Meridian. Reynolds helped to found the group, and Hon often testified on its behalf. But their current stance on book restrictions — and the role of that issue in this year's race — is somewhat less clear than it was two years ago. Though the 2024 harmful-materials law has caused turmoil at some libraries, that hasn't exactly been the case in Meridian. At a board meeting in February, dozens of patrons appeared, largely supportive of protecting the library's collection. And no library legislation was voted on this session, suggesting that the Legislature's appetite to crack down on controversial books might have been sated. In candidates' responses to the Idaho Statesman, only Hon identified 'protect(ing) children from harmful content' as an aim of his campaign. Hon, who has made unsuccessful bids for Meridian mayor and City Council and the Idaho House of Representatives, has a background in electrical engineering, business and real estate. He told the Statesman that in addition to advocating for age-appropriate materials for children, he valued fiscal responsibility and adherence to state law. Hon said he believed the core issue of this race is 'unaccountable use of taxpayer funds and a heavy bias in the collection policy towards delivering inappropriate content to children in the district.' Reynolds went a different route, telling the Statesman he supported access to 'diverse materials' in libraries and stood 'firmly against censorship.' 'Libraries should offer a broad range of perspectives, trusting families to make choices for themselves while preserving access for everyone,' Reynolds said. Reynolds, a formerly elected member of the Santa Clara Republican Party Central Committee in San Jose, California, also said he was running on 'progressive values.' But as recently as Tuesday, April 29, Reynolds re-posted a Substack article on Facebook that described 'porn' and 'sex clubs for kids' as 'Just a few of the things your kids can learn to enjoy at the Meridian Library!' Reynolds did not respond to follow-up questions from the Statesman. Incumbent Kohler joined the board in 2019 and has served as chair since June 2024. Kohler works in asset management for a development company and told the Statesman that his campaign focuses on continuing the library district's work, including the Cherry Lane branch renovation. Kohler noted that in his time on the board, the district has opened three new branches, including the Pinnacle branch last fall. Kohler said he believes that patrons largely support allowing parents to choose what books their children can access in libraries. 'There's a book for everybody at the library,' Kohler said. 'The job of the library is to help people find the book that is right for them.' Asked about the harmful materials legislation, Kohler said, 'We follow the law, and we will continue to follow the law.' This is Castle's first campaign for a public office. Castle works in finance and accounting and has been involved in education-focused initiatives with Boise nonprofit Reclaim Idaho. He is also a district chair for the Ada County Democrats, who have offered to endorse him, though he said he has not officially accepted the endorsement because the race is nonpartisan. Castle said he became involved with the library when the petition to dissolve it first circulated, and he helped with Hart's successful bid for the trustee seat in 2023. He said his experience door-knocking for that campaign and now his has affirmed that 'the government shouldn't be in the business of deciding what you or your family reads.' He said his experience in accounting would help him steward taxpayer dollars if elected. The two seats on the ballot are Kohler's, whose six-year term is expiring; and Josi Christensen's. Christensen is not running for re-election. In the Ada County Free Library District, home of the Ada Community Library, five candidates will compete for two seats. Carol Mills, the board's chairman, has opted not to run for re-election. A second seat is held by Suzette Moore, an interim trustee as of April 15, who seeks election. The district, which encompasses unincorporated Ada County, Star, and parts of Boise, Meridian and Eagle, has not seen any book challenges since the harmful materials law went into effect, according to Trustee Mary Anne Saunders. But several candidates still identify protecting children or, conversely, safeguarding access to books, as key issues of their campaigns. Six names will appear on the ballot. One, Lori Billaud, told the Statesman in an email that she has suspended her campaign because of family health issues. Billaud put her support behind Moore and her running mate, Rachel Moorhouse. Moore and Moorhouse are substitute teachers in the West Ada School District who are running to 'keep libraries safe for children and teens,' according to a statement Moore sent to the Statesman. 'We believe that taxpayers, which include the parents, are the owners of our libraries,' she said. Their campaign website says parents are 'the rightful and legal decision-makers of what library materials their children can access at the library, and we will not, as the library, interfere with that relationship.' Steven Ricks, a trustee elected to serve on the board until 2027, is treasurer for Moore and Moorhouse's campaign. Moore joined the board in April after Melodie Huttash resigned before her term was scheduled to expire. Huttash did not immediately respond to an email from the Statesman. Also paired up for the race are Johnathon Baldauf and Travis Worwood. They are running to 'protect our libraries' and to 'continue to nurture the Ada Free Library District's connection with the people of Ada County,' according to Baldauf's campaign website. Baldauf is a criminal-defense and family-law attorney who ran for Ada County prosecutor in November and lost. He told the Statesman that he spent hours in libraries as a kid and wants 'to make sure that the current generation has access to the resources I had so they can learn to better communicate and be able to think critically.' Worwood is a physician's assistant who previously worked as a social worker, according to his campaign website. He told the Statesman he was encouraged by librarians in the district to run. 'I want children to be safe in the library and the library to be a comfortable, welcoming space for everyone,' he said. 'I will never use my personal cultural or religious values to remove material from the library that another member of the community would benefit from.' Sabrina Napolitano, also on the ballot, did not respond to the Statesman's requests for comment and appears to have no campaign website or dedicated social-media pages. The Kuna Library District's two available seats will not appear on the ballot, because the race is uncontested, according to a spokesperson for the Ada County Clerk's Office. Trustees Joan Gidney and Marie Leavitt will retain their seats. The Idaho League of Women Voters is hosting candidate forums for the two contested races ahead of Election Day. In these forums, candidates can introduce themselves and answer questions from the public, said Jean Henscheid, the league's co-president. The first forum, for the Ada Community Library took place Wednesday evening in Star, with Baldauf and Worwood attending. Henscheid told the Statesman that Moore and Moorhouse decided shortly before the forum not to participate because it was not 'in their campaign plans.' Napolitano did not attend. The Meridian Library District forum will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, at the library's Cherry Lane Branch at 1326 W. Cherry Lane in Meridian. Henscheid said Reynolds, Kohler and Castle planned to participate. The forums will be recorded and posted to the League's website, she said. Early voting opens on Monday, May 5 and runs until Friday, May 16. For early voting, voters can go to any of following sites from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ada County Elections Office: 400 N. Benjamin Lane in Boise. Boise City Hall: 150 N. Capitol Boulevard in Boise. Eagle Public Library: 100 N. Siterman Way in Eagle. Garden City City Hall: 6015 N. Glenwood St. in Garden City. Meridian City Hall: 33 E. Broadway Avenue in Meridian. Library! at Bown Crossing: 2153 E. Riverwalk Drive in Boise. Star City Hall: 10769 W. State St. in Boise. On Election Day, voters must go to their assigned precinct, which you can find at the Ada County Elections website. The window for preregistration has closed, but voters can still register in person on Election Day. Voting hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ID bill would let cities fire library directors. City behind it says that's not the point Teachers, parents give West Ada school board an earful over classroom sign A Boise-area city council wants the power to fire its library director. It may get it
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Book Publishers Mount Legal Defense Of Libraries
Using the law to protect books It's National Library Week. This year's theme is 'Drawn to the Library,' and the American Library Association's website declares, "Stories and art draw us together, inspiring all of us to discover our own unique talents. Libraries are essential to that process—now more than ever!" Now more than ever, libraries are also drawing attack. The front page of the ALA newly-released report for 2024 headlines the top ten most challenged books of 2024, and 'Censorship by the Numbers.' Inside, the report notes that 72% of book challenges come either from pressure groups and officials who have been swayed by them. ALA also reports that 38% of challenges are made to school libraries and 55% in public libraries. The United States Naval Academy has just removed 381 books from its library, most either about race, diversity, or gender identity. In Idaho, HB 710 was passed last year, exposing libraries to legal action if they failed to keep children away from 'adult access only' book areas. The law forced at least one library to become 'adults only' because they lacked the space and facilities to create a separate children's area. The trend of reading restrictions is being met by another trend--lawsuits to push back, and in many cases the plaintiffs include major book publishers. In Florida, parents, authors and six major book publishers have sued state and school district officials over the state's restriction of any material with 'sexual content" without consideration for the work's literary value; plaintiffs argue this has led to the removal of classic works by Maya Angelou, Leo Tolstoy, Aldous Huxley, and Toni Morrison, among others. The suit argues the restrictions are a violation of the First Amendment, saying, 'The right to speak and the right to read are inextricably intertwined. Authors have the right to communicate their ideas to students without undue interference from the government. Students have a corresponding right to receive those ideas.' Challenges have also been mounted by coalitions of parents, authors and publishers in Iowa and in Idaho, where Donnelly Public Library, the 'adults only' library, is part of the suit. One of the publishers involved in these suits is MacMillan Publishers, whose CEO Jon Yaged spoke to me about the company's involvement. Yaged says, 'We think we're fighting for Democracy as well as our business,' and argues that as a society, we get the best results from conversation, which requires the open flow of ideas that books provide. Yaged sees a problem with laws and local rules that are 'very arbitrary,' broad, and vague. 'We've seen books banned because of a single sentence, or a detail such as two people holding hands.' Details like 'a simple kiss on the cheek' do not strike him as 'sexual content.' He argues that 'you might think differently, but you've got to read the book.' The vagueness, he argues, also leads to an awful lot of self-editing, because one doesn't know what the rules actually prohibit. While some commenters (like Shirin Ali at The Hill) have argued that banning books actually increases sales, Yaged says that is 'absolutely not' the case. 'Once in a while a book might get a bump, but by and large it is hurting the sales, especially as these laws start to have a criminal component.' Yaged noted that many libraries across the country's many school districts are operating under policies that aren't even public knowledge. To respond to them is 'incredibly time consuming, labor-intensive work, but we have no choice but to do it.' Why should these publishers get involved in book ban battles across the country? 'I think you have no choice,' says Yaged. 'It's part of being a citizen. Reading is a fundamental skill. It's a foundational skill for being able to function in democracy. You need to have information; you need to be able to analyze that information.' MacMillan is among the many members of the American Association of Publishers involved in other similar lawsuits to push back on book banning. National Library Week will include a variety of celebrations 'highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities,' but the work defending that work in a court of law will continue well beyond these seven days.
The Guardian
05-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Publishers sue state of Idaho over library book bans
A group of major publishers in the US are suing the state of Idaho over a book-banning law. HB 710, enacted last July, forbids anyone under the age of 18 from accessing books deemed 'harmful to minors', including those depicting 'sexual conduct', in school or public libraries. The ban extends to classics and bestsellers, including The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Game of Thrones by George RR Martin and nonfiction books such as The 'What's Happening to My Body?' Book for Girls by Lynda Madaras. Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks filed a lawsuit on Tuesday alongside three authors, a public library district, the US writers' body the Authors Guild, a teacher, two students and two parents. This is the third state-level publisher-led lawsuit over book bans, following those against Florida and Iowa. The Idaho law 'goes even further than previous laws by removing classic books from public libraries in addition to schools', said Dan Novack, associate general counsel at Penguin Random House. HB 710's definition of 'harmful' materials is 'vague and overbroad', says the lawsuit. The law allows private citizens to file complaints, putting librarians 'in the untenable position of having to guess whether any member of the public might file an objection to a book whose message they disagree with' by claiming the text falls within the law's definition of harmful. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Libraries, many of which could not afford the cost of a defence if they were sued, have pre-emptively removed books from their shelves in response to the law. 'This type of self-censorship is inimical to first amendment liberties', said Michael Grygiel, an adjunct faculty member with Cornell Law School's First Amendment Clinic, which is representing the plaintiffs. Given that the law requires libraries to 'take reasonable steps' to restrict under-18s' access to 'harmful' books, libraries have to remove the texts from the library entirely, establish 'fully monitored, cordoned-off' adults-only sections, or convert to an 'adult-only' library. Donnelly Public Library, one of the plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, converted to an adult-only library in May last year because it is too small to host an adult-only section, and it lacks the resources to review all the books in its collection to assess whether they fall under HB 710. Now under-18s cannot enter the library without their parent or guardian completing a three-part waiver. 'Our programming – which includes the only option for after-school care in Donnelly – has been severely impacted, with children unable to step inside the building to use the bathroom or keep warm without a complex waiver,' said the library's director, Sherry Scheline. Scheline added: 'Our circulation has also declined significantly.' There was a 42.8% fall in materials checked out from the library in the six weeks after the introduction of the legislation, compared with the previous year. Since the law took effect, titles moved to adult-only sections or removed from libraries entirely include A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
