Montana State Library Commission Votes to Withdraw From American Library Association (ALA)

UPDATE (Thursday, July 13): ALA Releases Statement in Response  to Montana State Library Commission’s Decision to Withdraw Montana State Library’s Membership

UPDATE (Wednesday, July 12): Montana Library Association (MLA) Statement in Response to Montana State Library Commission Decision to Withdraw from American Library Association (ALA)

—End Updates—

From the Daily Montanan:

The Montana State Library Commission voted 5-1-1 in favor of withdrawing from the American Libraries Association, citing comments made by the incoming president of the organization where she self-identified as a “Marxist lesbian” in a since-deleted Tweet.

“Our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist,” read the language the commission voted to send to the ALA.

The commission took the vote Tuesday, with one commissioner opposed and one abstaining, after hearing more than an hour of public comment, much of which was in support of the withdrawal and laced with false narratives around sexually explicit material being pushed to children in libraries.

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More From the Montana Free Press:

In response to Tuesday’s vote, Montana State Librarian Jennie Stapp told MTFP that the ALA would be notified of the commission’s decision by day’s end. As for herself and her staff, she said, “We will continue to do our jobs to the best of our abilities to support all Montana libraries and all Montana communities.”

The ALA did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Tuesday’s vote.

This isn’t the first time that the Montana State Library has become embroiled in such a debate. Last summer, the commission voted 4-3 to reject a redesigned library logo after two commissioners expressed concern that the color scheme resembled the LGBTQ pride flag. The logo’s color palette was altered slightly in response to the concerns, and the commission approved the redesign in October.

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