Librarians protect our right to choose what we read

Remember the magical rhymes of Dr. Suess, and the enchantment of Charlotte’s Web? The Chicago Public Library recently removed six Dr. Suess books from its shelves, citing racism. Charlotte’s Web has been banned elsewhere because it features talking animals. And in lower Michigan, a small public library is closing after residents twice voted to defund it because the library refused to remove LGBTQ books from its collection. 

Librarians are facing a crisis few of them dreamed of when they chose their career: calls for book banning from a small but vocal minority that is gaining political power across the country. 

Intellectual Freedom vs. Censorship

“There is a coordinated national attack on the ideals we hold most dear, which is access for all, to all,” says Kristin Fontichiaro, who teaches library science at the University of Michigan’s School of Information. “It’s important to realize that loud voices are not always majority voices. Surveys have shown that the majority of Americans do not want books banned.” 

Director of the Portage Lake District Library, Katrina Linde-Moriarty, amid the books at the library, reading to children. Photo by Jennifer Donovan.

Katrina Linde-Moriarty, director of the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton, agrees.

“At the heart of librarianship has always been equitable, free and confidential access to information,” Linde-Moriarty, who prefers they/them pronouns, said. “Librarians stand up against censorship or efforts by others to control what books and other materials can be in the library. A librarian’s role is defending intellectual freedom and providing equitable access to information and resources.”

A challenge has already arisen locally, where a group of parents protested the Hancock School Library’s posting of a display of LGBTQ books during Pride Month. The Hancock library is operated under a contract between the Portage Lake District Library and the Hancock Public Schools.

Linde-Moriarty believes that library patrons can choose for themselves what books and other materials they want to engage with. So does Fontichiaro. 

“Libraries have always been pro-family,” she said. “We let families decide what’s right for them. We don’t determine what every family reads, and we don’t want a vocal minority to determine that either.”

The book-banning movement has also created a new threat to librarians themselves.

“It’s heartbreaking to me to say to an LGBTQ student or a student of color, ‘You may not be safe working in a library,’” says Fontichiaro. “Nobody became a librarian because they like death threats. We just want to help people.”

“My neighbor shouldn’t be making decisions about what I can read.”

— Debbie Mikula, Director, Michigan Library Association

Debbie Mikula, director of the Michigan Library Association, has even heard about a prosecutor who is considering bringing criminal charges against a librarian who has refused to remove certain books.

“A library’s responsibility is to provide free access to all expressions of opinion,” she says. “No one should take that choice away from readers. We’re witnessing something that is unprecedented. My neighbor shouldn’t be making decisions about what I can read.”

The American Library Association (ALA) states: “The foundation of modern librarianship rests on an essential set of core values that define, inform, and guide our professional practice.” These values include access and intellectual freedom. 

MI Right to Read is a grassroots coalition of concerned Michigan residents organized by the Michigan Library Association to fight censorship in libraries. The coalition opposes any attempts to ban books from Michigan libraries based on content subjectively deemed inappropriate. Its purpose is to educate the public and oppose any legislation that infringes upon First Amendment rights and intellectual freedom.

“Selecting materials for a public library using a professional process involving objective criteria is very different from removing material because the remover dislikes or is made uncomfortable by the content,” the organization says. “One is collection development; the other is censorship.”

MI Right to Read offers toolkits on its website to help fight censorship. 

Community Resources

Librarians work in a wide variety of settings. There are public libraries like Portage Lake District Library, school libraries, university libraries, archival libraries and specialty libraries for law, medicine and various businesses. 

In addition to providing books, videos, music and online resources, public libraries serve three vital community functions. They preserve the history and cultural heritage of their area, act as community centers for residents, and provide resources one would not normally expect from a library. 

For example, Linde-Moriarty says that people have come to the library seeking help when their water has been turned off, they have lost a job or are facing homelessness. The library staff help them connect with community resources to address their problems. 

“Emergency rooms triage for medical emergencies,” Linde-Moriarty said. “We triage for everything else.  We have to have a robust skill set and knowledge across all staff members. The library is a hub of humanity. A librarian’s role is to help people make connections. We have our foot in a lot of different doors, work with a lot of partners. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in a library.”

Preserving History and Cultural Heritage

Preserving cultural heritage is an important if little-known activity of librarians, Linde-Moriarty says.

“We are working to capture local history and personal narrative through recordings, videos, and podcasts. That’s very exciting. Capturing more than written narratives creates vibrant archives.”

The American Library Association notes that libraries help ensure an authentic record of knowledge created and accumulated by past generations. 

“Libraries are rich repositories of historically and culturally significant collections, many of which are not available anywhere else in the world,” the ALA says on its website. “In a world without libraries, it would be difficult to advance research and human knowledge or preserve the world’s cumulative knowledge and heritage for future generations.” 

Diversity is another issue facing librarians today.

“Diversity has fractured communities,” Linde-Moriarty observes. “The library is a community hub, welcoming and inclusive, a central gathering place for the community.” 

But librarians are predominantly white women, Linde-Moriarty noted. So is most of the library staff.

“Who’s missing from the equation?,” Linde-Moriarty says. “We need to be broadening our perspective, not only in our stacks, but on our staff.”

Despite all the challenges, Linde-Moriarty would not have chosen any other career. Their dedication to battling censorship, to preserving our cultural heritage and to making the library an accessible, attractive, welcoming center of the community holds them right where they are, and they love it that way.

For the love of learning, for all

The Hancock Public School Board meeting on Oct. 17, nearly empty except for school officials, library officials, and reporters. Photo by Sydney Wilmot.

The Hancock Public Schools Board of Education had a sparse audience to their October assembly, in stark contrast to their standing-room-only August meeting. The minutes were passed, the discussion and updates for different projects of the Hancock Public School were presented. Finally, came the time for visitor comments.

There was silence.

Following the principal reports, the approval for the contract with the Portage Lake District Library (PLDL) was then put to a vote. It was recommended by Superintendent Steven Patchin, moved by Board Secretary Michael Lancour and seconded by Trustee Rod Paavlova.

Before it was voted on, information was put forth by Patchin to distinguish it from the previous contract.

“The big thing is the potential membership fee,” he said. “We talked about serving the tax paying community, and it was brought up we were interested in those outside our tax paying community, but there should be a fee just like Portage Lake District Library has on the other side… it came out to a cost of round about $24 per [card].”

This means if a household wants to utilize the Hancock Public School’s library but lives outside the tax paying community that has full access, the household can pay $24 to purchase a library card to check out items.

PLDL Director Katrina Linde-Moriarty explained that some people may wish to buy multiple cards because of the checkout limit. The PLDL circulation policy states 25 items can be checked out on one card.

After the extra information was presented, the partnership was put to a vote. The motion passed unanimously.

The PLDL and Hancock Public Schools will continue their contract until Oct. 31, 2023.

Linde-Moriarty inherited this collaboration after it was created after seeing “that PLDL could help… [and] previously, due to funding structures, it wasn’t feasible to have a librarian in that role or to staff the library at all. It was teacher and volunteer run, so we had the skill set on hand at PLDL to help, and I think we have our work cut out for us moving forward to see [what the] next step in the process would be.”

The library partnership began with a three-year contract with the school that started in Nov. 2018, but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the partnership, the library was run by teachers and volunteers.

“They only had the plan for it to be a stepping-stone to see if it was possible to either expand the district or to show people within the Hancock School District what a well-staffed library could be and how big of a resource it could be, not only for the students but for all of the residents,” said Linde-Moriarty, who started as PLDL’s director earlier this year.

This vote on the contract is the second amendment made to the agreement to extend the partnership.

In response to being asked about the dissent that was present at the last meeting, Linde-Moriarty said, “I think a better way to talk about [it] would be the misinformation around the situation… what is interesting is there is less than a dozen public school libraries in Michigan. They are mostly in the UP, and mostly in the peninsula, so we are very unique.”

They said the contract the council had just voted on was unique in the state, so there were no models to follow and “a lot of new ground to cover in what that partnership looks like.”

How communication with community stakeholders is handled is one of those things.

“I thought we were doing a pretty decent job about being transparent about the efforts that we were making in administering the library, and then we got different feedback,” Linde-Moriarty said. “So we took in that feedback and analyzed it and worked together with the school district to find solutions to move forward, and really try to recontextualize what our focus is for the future, but we still don’t have the answers, and that’s what I’m looking forward to exploring.”

Find more information on the Hancock school Public Library programs and more here.

Millages, Critical Thinking, and Rainbow Flags

Parents and other community members gathering for the Aug. 22 meeting. Photo by Juxta Sprague.

With more than ten minutes until the meeting’s start, chairs are scarce as parents, teachers, librarians, and other community members make their way into a small room within the Hancock Middle School. One person hands out buttons that read "Support the Hancock Library". The Hancock Public Schools Board of Education calls their Aug. 22 meeting to order with nearly a dozen still standing, overflowing into the adjacent kitchenette and hallway.

Katrina Linde-Moriarty, director of the Portage Lake District Library, presenting to the board and public. Photo by Juxta Sprague.

Katrina Linde-Moriarty, the new director of the Portage Lake District Library (PLDL), gave a presentation to the board to help illustrate the history, achievements, and possible future of collaboration between PLDL and the Hancock Public Schools.

In 2018, a contract was established to have PLDL manage the Hancock School Public Library (HSPL) which had until then been run at limited hours and staffed by volunteers. Although still new to their role, Linde-Moriarty was excited by the progress that had been made during the initial four years of the contract.

548 new library cards were created, checkouts increased by 166% (average of 10.5 checkouts per user for 21/22 year), 5513 new items were added, and library visits increased by an impressive 392%.

HSPL also succeeded in applying for grants and soliciting donations to help fund the services, materials, and improvements of the library. A grant of $212,000 was recently awarded jointly to HSPL and the school district through the Michigan Department of Education literacy program, substantially much more than the ~$29,000 initially requested. Linde-Moriarty has indicated that the grant will fund the program and cover much-needed improvements for the library including new programming, shelves, furnishings, books, maker-space equipment, and a complete overhaul of three outdated non-fiction sections of the library.

Linde-Moriarty offered three possible next steps for the relationship between Hancock School Public Library and the PLDL.

• Extend the current contract. Linde-Moriarty noted that without increasing the financial commitment the level of service would decrease over time.

• Continue the contract but require the municipalities to levy a millage to support the library.

• Pursue a PLDL millage for all the municipalities of Hancock Public Schools to match the 1.96 mils of Houghton and Portage Township making HSPL a "branch" of PLDL allowing library cardholders to check out materials at both locations.

Linde-Moriarty concluded by requesting the current contract be extended one fiscal year with a millage increase from 0.3 (~$73,000) to 0.4 (~$84,000) in order to offset staffing costs and to reinstate the Hancock School Public Library Advisory Committee to improve transparency and ease of communication between the Board of Education and PLDL.

Handouts and slides for the HSPL contract renewal are available on the PLDL website.

Contract Renewal Handouts

Nearly a dozen individuals made visitor comments to the board.

Amanda Lutey, a resident of Hancock, thanked the Board for supporting the library and making it "accessible to all".

Amanda Lutey (left) and Faith Morrison (center) both delivered comments to the Hancock Board of Education. Photo by Juxta Sprague.

Faith Morrison, a recently retired Professor from Michigan Tech, delivered a statement on the importance of libraries in teaching critical thinking and problem-solving.

"A good library should have something to offend everyone," Morrison read.

A parent said that the "Library had stuff that was not appropriate for my son," and that “parents don't like material being shoved in the face of their kids".

The individual declined to provide further comment or be identified for this story.

Allyson Jabusch speaks to the Board of Education. Photo by Juxta Sprague.

Allyson Jabusch, a retiree from Michigan Tech, said that "The library contract saved the day" and encouraged the Board of Education to extend the contract. Jabusch also encouraged community members to volunteer at schools and libraries.

Another individual responded to Jabusch saying "We all have different views on the law".

The individual did not clearly identify themself to the board.

Chris Heikkinen, a former member of the Hancock Board of Education, applauded the work of the current school board. In reference to a pride month library display at HPSL, he stated “This material doesn’t have a place in a display in a public library”.

"Parents are the ultimate authority [and they are] trying to stop the kidnapping of their kids' innocence,” Heikkinen said.

He concluded his comment by asking the Board how they will build and maintain institutional trust.

“Libraries are one of the last places somebody can go without having to pay money,” William Keith, an associate professor at Michigan Tech, said. “A place where everyone is welcome.” 

Keith also voiced support for the library Advisory Committee proposed by Linde-Moriarty to ensure transparency.

Stephanie Flint, a resident of Hancock, shared her experience of "rediscovering the [Hancock] library". 

She stated that "InterLibrary loan has been great" and that the library has offered "good materials for people on a budget". 

Flint expressed hope that the contract would be renewed.

Dillon Geshel, former director of the PLDL, noted that most public school libraries have disappeared in Michigan due to state legislation and that HSPL is one of the few remaining. Geshel encouraged the Board to "think about why [HSPL] has been as successful as it has [during the four-year contract]." 

Editor’s Note: Geshel is a member of Copper Beacon’s Board of Directors.

Steve Raasio, a parent of seven former Hancock students, said that "political stuff [shouldn't be] involved anywhere" in reference to rainbow flags being displayed at the library. He stated that he'd prefer to see the library "fall on its face" than promote "political ideologies".

Raasio noted that he does not personally use the library though some of his adult children do.

Susan Autio, the Circulation Manager at PLDL, said that she oversees the committees that curate library content, and values diversity in the selection there.

"I buy books I find personally offensive," Autio said.

Autio, in reference to the HSPL, stated that "kids are endlessly checking out books" and that she "would be so sad to see this end".

The PLDL and HSPL contract has already been extended twice and is again entering the final months. The board did not vote on its future at this meeting. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 19 at 5 p.m.

Second-grade teachers Genevieve Nordmark and Becky Garnell present on computer science and STEM education. Photo by Juxta Sprague.

Second-grade teachers Genevieve Nordmark and Becky Garnell also delivered a presentation to the Board of Education on the importance of computer science and STEM education for student careers, future wages and college attendance. They emphasized that many valuable skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication are taught through computers, robots, 3D printers, and other technologies in a way that is exciting, fun, and accessible to students.

Ben Larson also gave a brief oral presentation to the board to encourage fundraising through alumni outreach. Larson made several suggestions such as finding naming opportunities and an "Alumni Distinction Honor Group" to get alumni of the Hancock Public Schools excited about making donations or gifts to help fund improvements to the school district.