This is absolutely a trend that we need to pay attention to.  It started
rolling before the pandemic and is building up steam.  Back in 2018/2019,
the EBSCO content was challenged by a law in Colorado, and was successfully
refuted by the Colorado Association of Libraries and some amazing
partnerships.  In 2019 Maine Library Association also spoke in Committee in
Augusta, defending educators' right to teach material without being
threatened with a Class C crime--"educator" being poorly defined, the
"problem materials" being completely vague, and the concept of who was
bringing the criminal complaint were horrifyingly unspecified.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Even if you're functioning
on the "I need to worry about my day-to-day and let other people handle big
stuff," level because times are crazy and nobody has extra bandwidth, this
absolutely CAN become a day-to-day problem as soon as vague or malicious
legal requirements mean that the library is on the receiving end of a legal
complaint.  Even if you know you're in the right, you've still got the
time, financial, and emotional cost of defending that.

(Alas, Sonja Durney (MLA VP) and I were supposed to present alongside the
Colorado folks at ALA in 2020 about libraries and legislative action, but
it was cancelled, so I have happy feelings on the outcome, but sad feelings
on the missed opportunity.)

Off of my soapbox for now,
Alisia Revitt
[Former MLA President, current Loud Talker]


On Tue, May 10, 2022 at 7:45 PM Mamie Anthoine Ney <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> An article from the Press Herald.
>
> https://bit.ly/3Fv5dJD
>
> M
>
> --
>
> Mamie Anthoine Ney
>
> Auburn Public Library
>
> 49 Spring St.
>
> Auburn, ME 04210
>
> 207.333.6640 x 2020
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> www.auburnpubliclibrary.org
> “The public library is where place and possibility meet.”
> ― Stuart Dybek
>