Hunter
03/07/2
The Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees issued a statement Monday calling for an independent and nonpolitical State Library of Iowa.
In the release from the Trustees, they say this year’s legislative session includes a proposal to drastically reorganize state government and has the potential to limit liberties and rights of Iowans to access knowledge.
The Trustees say the reorganization would move the State Library to the Department of Administrative Services, eliminating the oversight of the current citizen-led commission and making the State Librarian a political appointee.
They believe this will transform the State Library of Iowa from one of the most open and accessible decision-making state libraries to one of the least equitable and transparent in the nation.
The trustees say the restructuring bill will make public libraries vulnerable to the shifting political winds. They conclude, “Libraries have long stood as entities independent of political fluctuations, each considering how to best serve their community. The Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees supports the State Library of Iowa as the infrastructure for funding and collaboration in Iowa’s exceptional public library system.”