The Arkansas State Library Board is asking the Department of Education to draft content policies for library books.
The request came at a meeting Monday that was otherwise light on specifics. Board members had a general discussion about the board's future decisions, priorities and ability to influence library matters.
This comes after months of contentious board meetings amid debates about library content and children's accessibility. Former state Sen. Jason Rapert spent his tenure on the board attempting to withhold funds from libraries based on books they offered, often ones with LGBTQ+ themes and characters.
Following the passage of a new state law, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was allowed to totally replace the board. She announced the new slate of members last September. A different law moved the library board under the purview of the state Department of Education.
The Monday meeting was a general overview of future board priorities. Education Secretary Jacob Oliva listed seven "common themes” when asking board members what could be done to improve their “current standards.”
- More accountability of state aid distributed by the board to libraries. Oliva said this could look like more regular audits.
- Better advertising of individual library hours.
- Drafting policies to protect children from “harmful” content.
- Possible “better” oversight of local library boards. Oliva was unclear what this would mean exactly.
- Reviewing whether librarian qualifications are too strict or too lenient
- Reviewing which metrics should be involved in evaluating libraries.
- Possible strategic plans for libraries.
State boards do not have the power to make law. They can decide whether to grant needed state aid to local library systems, but are limited in deciding how it's spent once they release the funds.
Member Clay Goff cautioned fellow board members to avoid making state aid conditional.
“State aid is really the only moneys that our libraries receive that is discretionary,” he said.
Goff said that other library funding sources like millage money are more restrictive, while state aid can go to larger projects like capital improvements.
He said accountability should be asked of libraries after releasing funds since it's difficult to predict how money will be needed.
Fellow board member Sydney McKenzie suggested accountability measures avoid the word “shall,” which often denotes a legal requirement. Instead they can say: “ought to provide.”
“The libraries want accountability," said Jennifer Chilcoat, director of the Arkansas State Library.
“Jen, that's part of your job,” Oliva responded. “If I have to come here to your job then I wonder why we have you.”
He explained that as Education Secretary, he couldn't run every board individually.
Oliva agreed for his department to draft many of the proposals discussed at the meeting including a resolution about children's content in the library.
