Alabama: “Autauga-Prattville Library Board Approves Book Removal Policy as Controversy Continues”
The Autauga-Prattville Public Library Board of Trustees last week approved a resolution giving themselves the power to remove any materials they believe inappropriate, whatever a library director may decide.
The move is the latest in an ongoing controversy over access to books at the library, one that has led in the last year to the appointment of a new board; the firing of a former library director and a federal lawsuit over selection criteria approved by the board in February that plaintiffs say violate patrons rights.
“We have a current lawsuit open, and I expect the plaintiffs will also allege there are problems with the resolution,” said Bryan Taylor, a former candidate for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court who is representing the library in the suit.
Messages seeking comment were left with Ray Boles, chair of the library board, and Hannah Rees of Clean Up Alabama, which has pushed for the changes.
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Members of Read Freely Alabama, formed in opposition to Clean Up Alabama, and allies oppose the resolution and the library board’s policies adopted earlier this year.
“This case is a problem of the library board’s own making,” said Will Bardwell, senior counsel at Democracy Forward, the organization representing Read Freely Alabama in its lawsuit. “The board could have backed away from its extremist agenda and returned the library’s policies to the way they used to be. Instead, the board is doubling down. The wording of the policies has changed, but the board’s book banning goal remains. Until the board stops violating the First Amendment, this case will continue.”
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About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.