Latest news with #LibraryBoard
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New juvenile, teen cards coming to Corpus Christi Public Libraries
Under an updated policy, new youth library card options will be available starting June 2 at all six Corpus Christi library branches. In early March, Corpus Christi Public Libraries updated its collection development policy to exclude some types of material in the juvenile section and what will be a new teen section. The change came after discussions among the Library Board that spanned more than a year, and have often drawn criticism, over what kind of content should be deemed inappropriate for minors. The new options are the Juvenile Card, intended for ages zero to 12, and the Teen Card, which will allow access to a collection designed for ages 13 through 17. The juvenile collection includes board books, picture books, easy reading books, juvenile chapter books, juvenile nonfiction and juvenile media. Each card limits cardholders to checking out materials only from designated sections. The current youth library card, which allows minors to borrow material from any area of the library, will remain an available option. To prevent access to young adult and adult material for Juvenile and Teen cards, eBooks and eAudiobooks via CloudLibrary will be restricted, as the library cannot customize access for individual users of the service. Youth Library Card The card is available for ages zero through 17 and can check out any available material in the library. Cardholders can access digital resources; access CloudLibrary for eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines; use self-checkout stations; and log into library computers to access the internet. The only restriction with the Youth Library Card is the account must remain in good standing to ensure continued access. Juvenile Library Card The card is available for ages zero through 12 and can only check out juvenile material. Cardholders can use the self-checkout stations. Restrictions are as follows: Users cannot access CloudLibrary for eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines; parents/guardians are not permitted to use the card to check out non-juvenile materials for themselves; users cannot access library computers with internet; and the account must remain in good standing to ensure continued access. Teen Library Card The card is available for ages 13 through 17 and can only check out juvenile and teen material. Cardholders can use self-checkout stations. Restrictions are as follows: Users cannot access CloudLibrary for eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines; parents/guardians are not permitted to use the card to check out non-juvenile materials for themselves; users cannot access library computers with internet; and the account must remain in good standing to ensure continued access. All permissions and restrictions are subject to change, according to the Corpus Christi Public Libraries. For more information, visit More: Here's why the Library Board is the Caller-Times' Newsmaker of the Year for 2024 More: 'Here to provide services': Corpus Christi Public Libraries remain a resource for community John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at Consider supporting local journalism with a subscription to the Caller-Times. This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Corpus Christi Public Libraries will offer new juvenile, teen cards
Chicago Tribune
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Four new members win seats on Oak Park Public Library Board
Four new members of the Oak Park Public Library Board will be sworn in next month after both incumbents running for reelection lost April 1, according to unofficial election results, a little more than a year after the Library Board voted to fire former executive director Joslyn Bowling Dixon. Library Board President Matt Furth, who has been on the Library Board for 20 years, following in the footsteps of his father, finished last in a field of eight candidates, a stunning rebuke. Fruth received only 2,654 votes, lagging far behind first place finisher Annie Wilkinson who led the field with 5,169 votes. 'I'm proud and delighted to have been elected and to have received a vote of confidence from our community in support of my values and candidacy and for my vision for our library,' Wilkinson said in an email. 'I'm looking forward to governing in collaboration with everyone else elected to and sitting on our Library Board to lead our library into an exciting future.' Incumbent Maya Ganguly, who was seeking a second term, finished in sixth place and currently has 3,260 votes. Neither Fruth nor Ganguly responded to a request for comment. The other six candidates were divided into two rival slates. All the members of the A Library for All, for Always slate were elected including Wilkinson, Colin Bird-Martinez, who is in third place with 4,554 votes, and fourth place finisher Mika Yamamoto who has 4,416 votes. Megan Butman who ran on another slate is in second with 5,022 votes, running far ahead of slate mates Bruce Brigell, who is in 5th place with 3,476 votes and Dan Suber, at seventh with 3,180 votes. 'I don't know how I got through but I did,' Butman said. The Wilkinson, Bird-Martinez, and Yamamoto slate has decidedly left of center views and were backed by the progressive activists active in the Activate Oak Park group. 'They have a whole group behind them and we were running sort of independently,' Butman said. Wilkinson, Bird-Martinez and Yamamoto all supported firing Dixon but did not seem to emphasize that in their campaign and they did not pay a political price for the firing that the incumbents apparently did. They emphasized continued antiracism work at the library and reaching out to youth and marginalized communities. All three members of the slate went door to door ringing doorbells and talking to potential voters during the last three weeks of the campaign. 'We ran a nuts and bolts campaign, especially in the last weeks we were canvassing,' Bird-Martinez said, noting 'family members and friends joined us especially on the weekend ones.' While he was going door to door, Bird-Martinez said, some voters told him that it was the first time a Library Board candidate had ever knocked on their door. Butman, Brigell and Suber did no door knocking. Butman, a professional law librarian, said she had qualms about door knocking because she doesn't think of being on the Library Board as a political position. 'I don't know about the others but for me personally there was a big internal conflict with that,' Butman said. Brigell, a retired librarian, and Suber, a recently retired lawyer, said that they doubted that door knocking would have made a difference for them in the race. 'I think we gave it a good effort,' Brigell said. 'I can't say for sure what that traditional door to door, standing by the train station or the polling places would have done.' Wilkinson, Bird-Martinez, and Yamamoto were all on the list of endorsed or suggested candidates that Activate Oak Park, a local progressive group that had won up and down the ballot in this election. Volunteers connected with Activate Oak Park and others were passing out the cards of endorsed candidates at every polling place on Election Day while the Butman, Brigell and Suber slate had no one passing out palm cards on Election Day. 'We thought that most people walking in (to vote) had already made a decision,' Brigell said. Butman had mixed feelings the day after Election Day: happy that she was elected but disappointed that her slate mates were not. 'It's bittersweet,' Butman said. 'I'm disappointed. I am not aligned with the others (who were elected). They were all aligned with the firing of Joslyn and pro the way it was handled.' Butman wasn't sure why she was successful while her slate mates were not. Butman and others offered a variety of theories why Butman ran so far ahead of her slate mates when they campaigned as a group and espoused generally the same views. Butman has an active social media presence, while her older slate mates did not. Another factor was that Butman was the first name listed on a ballot which political scientists say can give a candidate as much at least a four to five percent boost over candidates whose names are lower on the ballot. And Butman is a woman and women often have an advantage in lower profile races. Finally Butman is 20 years younger than her slate mates. 'I think it's woman, I think it's first (on the ballot), I think it's I'm a professional librarian who has lived here for 22 years,' Butman said. Bird-Martinez said that he thought Butman had more of a social network in Oak Park than her slate mates. 'She has a lot of connections in the community and she's been more involved,' Bird-Martinez said. Two days before the election the West Cook Branch of Chicago Democratic Socialists of America inserted themselves in the library race and the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 school board race. An email sent by the DSA group endorsed Wilkinson, Bird-Martinez and Yamamoto and attacked Butman, Brigell and Super as 'reactionaries'. Butman, Brigell and Suber shook their heads at the description of them as 'reactionaries.' 'They painted us in the worst possible light with half-truths and lies,' said Brigell, a member of the American Civil Liberties Union who has been active in his younger days in Democratic Party politics. Butman decried the attacks. The DSA email praised Wilkinson, Bird-Martinez and Yamamoto, but Bird-Martinez said his slate had nothing to do with the email. 'We found out after the election, so we weren't, like, notified or anything like that and we didn't seek that endorsement,' Bird-Martinez said. Butman said she hopes, once seated, the new Library Board can work together, but she has concerns about what she fears will be attempts to politicize the library. 'I think it's going to be difficult,' she said. Bird-Martinez said that he plans to reach out soon to Butman. 'We have to all work together,' Bird-Martinez said. 'I want to reach out to her soon and make sure we all have good relationships together. I really hope that we're not going to have acrimony on the board and I don't think we will.'
Chicago Tribune
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Director's firing a year ago still resonates in Oak Park Library Board race
The controversial firing last year of Oak Park Public Library Director Joslyn Bowling Dixon is reverberating in this year's Library Board race. There are eight candidates competing for four seats on the Library Board in the April 1 election. Three of the candidates, Bruce Brigell, Megan Butman, and Daniel Suber, are running largely because they are angry about Dixon's termination and believe it illustrated deeper problems with the board. 'It just seemed a rash decision without due process in our view and left the community kind of aghast,' Brigell said in a telephone interview. Dixon was fired March 16, 2024, after complaints about how she handled a Palestinian cultural event at the library and amid complaints by some current and former library staff members about staff reorganization that eliminated a restorative practices position. Brigell, 73, and Butman, 53, are professional librarians while Suber, 73, is a recently retired lawyer. They have formed a slate and are running a joint campaign. Brigell and Butman met after they both made public comments at a Library Board meeting after Dixon was fired. Brigell, who is now retired, worked for 25 years as the head of reference at the Skokie Public Library while Butman is a law librarian for the Ogletree, Deakins law firm. Suber, who was also upset by Dixon's firing, was introduced to Brigell by former Oak Park Village Clerk Sandra Sokol. Then Brigell, Butman and Suber met and they decided to run for the library board as a team. 'We just had some coffee together and decided, gee we all feel the same way about things,' Suber said. There is another very different three person slate in the race, consisting of Annie Wilkinson, Colin Bird-Martinez, and Mika Yamamoto. They met after filing to run but all come from a politically left perspective and have been active in the Activate Oak Park group. 'Nobody put together our slate, we came together because we're like minded,' Wilkinson said. Positioned somewhat in the middle are two incumbents running for reelection, longtime Library Board member and current board President Matt Fruth and Maya Ganguly. There are clear differences between the two slates. Brigell and Butman say that it would be helpful to have a professional librarian or two on the Library Board. 'It's a voice that would, I think, make a more effective board,' Butman said. Fruth, 46, who has been on the board for 20 years, declined to say much about the firing of Dixon. A statement the library board issued after firing Dixon stated that the decision to terminate Dixon, a Black woman, less than 17 months after she started her job, was not based on one incident. Ganguly, a 45 year-old-lawyer who has been on the board for two years, was somewhat more forthcoming in a telephone interview. 'I will say that there were, unfortunately, a pretty large range of concerns that had been brought up to the board and not all of them were in the middle of the public meeting,' Ganguly said. 'There were also complaints about the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library and how they felt she was treating them. I don't think that was necessarily a political issue but they did not feel like she was being respectful to them as a group. I certainly don't want to highlight that because I know that they're a group of people who really, really love the library like I love the library and I don't want them to get any of the heat and misinformation that is directed at me.' Bird-Martinez, Wilkinson and Yamamoto supported the decision to fire Dixon. 'I do believe that she should have been fired,' said Yamamoto, an English teacher at Oak Park and River Forest High School. 'There's a lot of public documentation of staff complaints. She wasn't in alignment with the library's vision of being a library for everyone.' Bird-Martinez, 39, grew up in Oak Park and works as a manager for International Motors, a manufacturer of heavy duty trucks. In 2019, when he lived in Chicago, Bird-Martinez unsuccessfully ran for alderman in the 31st Ward, finishing third in a three person race with 26.47% of the vote. Bird-Martinez has also worked with the People's Lobby group that former Oak Park village president candidate Cate Readling was a leader of. Wilkinson, 40, earned a doctorate in anthropology from University of California, Irvine. She works as a senior research analyst for a small think tank called Political Research Associates where she studies transnational anti-gender movements, mis- and disinformation, conspiracy theories and authoritarian movements. Bird-Martinez, Wilkinson, and Yamamoto's campaign slogan is 'A Library for All, for Always.' They are concerned about the double digit number of people of color who have left jobs at the library in the past year and 'the rolling back and sort of dismantling of some of the antiracism and DEI and community engagement team,' Wilkinson said. All the candidates say that they want the library to continue to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. They all said the new executive director, who will be hired shortly, should decide, in consultation with the Library Board, whether to have a director of diversity, equity and inclusion position or not. 'How an executive director, you know, makes that work will be up to them,' Fruth said. Brigell said it seems like the opposing slate's focus seems to be mostly on DEI. 'I think all the candidates value, you know, DEI and antiracism and all those kinds of things,' Brigell said. 'However I think that is kind of like the sole focus of that other ticket. We think it's very important, don't get me wrong on that, but it's not the only issue facing the library.' Wilkinson said that her slate cares about more than DEI. 'It isn't the only thing that we care about,' Wilkinson said. 'We also care about protecting the library from book banning, from ensuring that we continue to have a resilient public institution in the face of federal funding cuts.' All the candidates say they are opposed to book banning. Brigell said that it is important to have a diverse collection of materials and noted he didn't want to see older books gotten rid of. 'Mark Twain uses many words that I wouldn't use,' Brigell said at a Feb. 5 candidate forum sponsored by the Oak Park chapter of the League of Women Voters. 'He characterizes racial diversity in ways that I wouldn't use, but I think it's important that we not censor Mark Twain either so it's keeping the library open to all forms of ideas even if we have do have to have Melania Trump's book.' Suber said at the candidate forum he thinks the community should have a role in deciding what is in the library's collection. 'I'm not a fan of censorship in any way, shape or form but it seems to me that the community should have input into that process as well as the board and the library staff … which is lacking at the moment,' Suber said. Butman is concerned that the Bird-Martinez, Wilkinson and Yamamoto trio want to use the library to advance their political agenda. To her that's the distinction in the race. 'To me this looks like people who care about libraries for library's sake and people who are using the Library Board for their own political agenda,' Butman said. Wilkinson had a response to that. 'Elections are inherently political,' Wilkinson said. 'We've made our positions really clear about what our shared vision is for the library and we think that reflects what the community of Oak Park wants.' Butman said as a librarian she is concerned when any group tries to use a library for political purposes. 'A lot of Activate and progressive ideas I agree with, I just don't agree with either the Left or Right using their own political agenda to run a library,' Butman said. 'I see that as problematic. I see it as problematic when the Right wants to ban books; I see it as problematic when the Left wants to just fire directors and go attack people for all kinds of pretty extreme things.'
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The council voted on three appointments to the Library Board. Here's what was decided.
(This story was updated to add new information.) A controversy-laden Library Board will see three returning members after a vote by the Corpus Christi City Council on Tuesday — but a fourth spot up for appointment remains undecided after a tie between the incumbent and an applicant who would be a new appointee couldn't be broken. The four seats that had been in consideration represent what has been for the past year a minority vote on the nine-member advisory board, which has consistently seen a 5-4 split as discussions have transpired on how — or if — changes should be made to library policies. Several members of the five-member majority — all appointed in November 2023 in a vote that ousted three then-incumbents — have vocally advocated for policy updates that would relocate certain books they have described as featuring sexually explicit content from the young adult section to the adult section of the library. It's a conversation that took center stage throughout 2024 at meetings of the Library Board, which serves in an advisory capacity. Reappointed in a split vote were Jennifer Anderson, a representative from the nonprofit Friends of Corpus Christi Libraries and a community engagement librarian at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and Carroll Matthews, a representative of La Retama Club and retired community advocate. Returning to the board, also with split City Council support, is Alice Upshaw Hawkins, a Del Mar College adjunct professor. The council deadlocked, however, in a 4-4 vote split between reappointing incumbent Dora Wilburn or appointing Samuel Fryer, who would be a new member. Reshelving some material from the young adult section to the adult section would be a way to protect minors while keeping the books generally accessible, proponents have said. Board members in favor of doing so have said the intent is not to ban books. Several board members voting in the minority have voiced concern about some of the suggestions, describing them as putting librarians in the position that should be the role of individual parents to make decisions for their teenagers and children. In public comments spanning months, some community members have praised endeavors to revise policy — which currently allows any cardholder to borrow any books available in the library — as needed initiatives that address what they have described as objectionable content. Opponents have contended some of the proposals by the board's majority represent a softer form of book banning, raising the specter of impending censorship and suppression of the First Amendment. Hawkins and Wilburn were specifically named by some in public comment Tuesday with accusations that they endorsed access by minors to sexually explicit material. Critics described certain books as pornography. After the meeting, both Hawkins and Wilburn dismissed those assertions. There isn't pornography in the libraries, Hawkins said, adding that the idea that she would encourage minors to read pornography isn't accurate and doesn't make sense. 'As an educator, libraries, books — reading is what I'm about,' Hawkins said. 'There's no way that I would do damage to children when I'm trying to help them become educated and critical thinkers.' Wilburn said late Tuesday that she has not made statements indicating that she supports minors having access to explicit material, describing the assertions as 'ridiculous.' It's the librarians' jobs to determine the selection of books and where they are located, Wilburn said, not the board's, adding that who decides what may be checked out is up to parents. Individuals who believe material is inappropriate can file a request for librarians to reconsider a book, she noted. Mayor Paulette Guajardo and City Councilmen Roland Barrera, Mark Scott and Eric Cantu voted to reappoint the full slate of returning members. City Councilman Everett Roy supported the incumbents with the exception of Wilburn, voting instead for Fryer. City Councilwomen Kaylynn Paxson voted in favor of Matthews and Anderson but endorsed Fryer and Marcus Haas, who would be a new appointment. City Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn voted in favor of Anderson, along with Fryer, Haas and Joshua Shelton, while City Councilman Gil Hernandez in his vote rejected all of the incumbents and supported Haas, Fryer and Shelton. City Councilwoman Sylvia Campos did not participate in the appointment process after a legal opinion determined that she would have a conflict of interest. Wilburn is related to Campos, city officials said. The vote on the final seat, currently held by Wilburn, is anticipated to be revisited in two weeks. The eight voting council members did not discuss in the meeting their choices in appointees. Wednesday, council members who voted for new appointments either could not immediately be reached for comment or were not immediately available for comment. Barrera, who had voted in favor of the four returning members, said Wednesday that each had done a good job on the board and there wasn't a reason not to reappoint them. They 'were all highly qualified and had already been serving, I think, with distinction,' he said, 'particularly during this difficult time.' Hawkins had served on the board for one term, which ended in November when her seat was automatically forfeited under an existing city policy. The provision in the city's code allows the appointment of a non-city elected official to city boards. However, should the elected official win reelection while serving on a city board, he or she automatically forfeits their position. Hawkins said late Tuesday that she was glad she would be returning to the board, adding that she is hopeful that programs crafted as partnership between the school district and libraries could be explored. Wilburn said she wanted to continue to serve because of a love for books and libraries, but she added that she didn't expect to change the minds of council members who had not voted for her appointment Tuesday. In a message to the Caller-Times, Matthews wrote that she was hopeful the board would "be able to work together to provide a public library system that provides information to all members of our community especially those from groups who may feel they are unrepresented.' 'It is so important that our libraries continue to be overseen by professional librarians who have the knowledge and skills to provide information for all,' she added. Asked to comment on the council's decision, Anderson wrote in a message to the Caller-Times on Wednesday that she needed to review the archive broadcast of the council's meeting. Below are the applicants in consideration Tuesday, shown in alphabetical order with self-reported occupations as shown in city documentation. Applicants included: Jennifer Anderson, community engagement librarian at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and representative of the nonprofit Friends of Corpus Christi Libraries Nancy K. Cook, retired, regional director of spiritual care at CHRISTUS Health South Texas Region Ann E. Coover, self-employed attorney and law firm partner, Coover & Coover Samuel A. Fryer, training information administrator, Corpus Christi Army Depot Guillermo Gallegos, undergraduate student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi pursuing a bachelor's in biomedicine (no additional occupation listed) Marcus H. Haas, president and CEO, Gulf Coastal Breeze Inc. Alice Upshaw Hawkins, adjunct professor, Del Mar College Corie L Kaminski, library media teacher, Corpus Christi Independent School District Tommie Lee, project manager, TL Electric Carroll P Matthews, retired community advocate Kathleen Mooney Morin, business manager, Coca Cola Southwest Beverages Daniel G Resley, retired electronics technician and transit bus operator Rudy Salomon, renewable energy engineer, Enel Green Power North America Joshua W Shelton, copywriter, To Exceed LLC Kathryn A Stevens, retired English teacher Sarah Tuley, marketing coordinator, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Robert Voorheis, transmission operator, AEP Dora A Wilburn, self-employed jewelry designer More: Here's how the Corpus Christi Library Board became controversial More: Four seats on Corpus Christi Library Board will be up for a vote. Here's why it matters. More: 'Here to provide services': Corpus Christi Public Libraries remain a resource for community More: Records: Why residents wanted these books relocated, removed from Corpus Christi libraries More: Here's why the Library Board is the Caller-Times' Newsmaker of the Year for 2024 This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: City Council appoints three members to Corpus Christi Library Board
