CT library director resigns due to alleged political pressure over LGBTQ+ inclusion; Hartford Courant, October 8, 2023

Alison Cross, Hartford Courant; CT library director resigns due to alleged political pressure over LGBTQ+ inclusion

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State commission moves to strike standard for library directors; Montana Free Press, October 11, 2023

 Alex Sakariassen, Montana Free Press; State commission moves to strike standard for library directors

"The Montana State Library Commission voted Wednesday to strike a longstanding professional requirement applied to the directors of Montana’s eight largest libraries, one that dictates whether those libraries qualify for state funding.

Currently, public libraries that serve more than 25,000 people must employ a director with a graduate degree in library or information science in order to qualify for state certification and, by extension, state revenue. A task force earlier this year recommended that the library commission maintain that requirement. However, several commissioners Wednesday argued that professional standards should be left to local library trustees to set...

Gregory added that Montanans expect their accountants, physicians and attorneys to meet certain educational benchmarks and that removing a similar standard for library directors sends the message that “librarianship is not a profession that needs a professional course of study or license.”"

‘It’s a small number of people who are very loud’: Local libraries grapple with book challenges, bans; TribLive, August 22, 2023

QUINCEY REESE , TribLive; ‘It’s a small number of people who are very loud’: Local libraries grapple with book challenges, bans

"“It’s a small number of people who are very loud,” Coronado said.

In accordance with the library’s reconsideration policy, Coronado and other library staff members review all challenges that are brought to them and determine the best course of action, which could be moving a book to a new section, removing a book entirely or keeping it at its spot on the shelves.

“My role is to listen, no matter what the (patron) is saying,” Coronado said...

“We’re caught in the crossfire here, but we stick to our tenets,” Riegner said. “We live in a democratic society. We try to provide materials for all walks of life.”

Riegner acknowledged that patrons will inevitably disapprove of some content in the library.

“Some people may like (our book selections). Some people may not like them,” Riegner said. “We’re a public institution, so we will expect complaints from time to time.”

For Beth Mellor, listening to these complaints is essential.

“Our libraries are community-­facing,” said Mellor, director of Oakmont Carnegie Library. “When you are dealing with children, it is so important that you know what’s going on and that you listen.”"