3 min video of public comment from the 4/24/24 Board of Trustees meeting: LINK.
The AI transcripton on the video is inaccurate in several places, so the commentator's actual text is posted here:
"Whether we’re paid staff, unpaid appointed board members, or concerned citizens, we’re all here today because we recognize the impact libraries can have on our communities.
It was utterly fitting that during National Library Week, our governor signed into law the “Children’s School and Library Protection Act” - a monumental step forward for kids in our libraries.
However, let’s set the record straight regarding an April 11th Coeur d’Alene Press article about this new law. CLN’s Director Eccles laughably claims CLN to be 'ahead of or in front of library and community issues.' In fact, only after over a year-and-a-half of a vociferous and unrelenting public pressure campaign at CLN and 'the theatrics of reading passages out loud' as Chairman Jim Windisch asserts, plus the multiple denials by CLN’s board - amazingly, a revised policy was passed one day before the election filing deadline for the two trustees running for re-election.
Meanwhile, at Coeur d’Alene library, it was business as usual filling the shelves with what Chairman Windisch blatantly avoided mentioning in the Press article: gratitutous, graphic, sexually-explicit materials for minors. The CDA library board, Director Michael Priest and YA Librarian Angela Flock remained entrenched despite repeated public petitioning for 3 years. But, I almost forgot your deigning to revise the challenge document so your ALA, ILA and ICL overlords could continue to be cowed to under the guise of responding to public pushback. So, CleanBooks4Kids has made the Coeur d’Alene Library famous – or infamous – by spreading the word about a mere sliver of what’s been found in your stacks. I noticed last night that one of these books which CDA carried, Let’s Talk About It with multiple graphics of masturbation and pornography, has already been removed from your collection. But per this archived screenshot of its CDA listing, it had 4 holds - so there was demand for it. Despite that, it was removed. Interesting.
Bottom line: irrespective of ignored emails or inadequate responses, per the new Children’s School and Library Protection Act, as of July 1, 2024, the CDA Library is statutorily mandated to reassess their collection for minors. On our website, CleanBooks4Kids has provided you a head start in identifying these materials by documenting a list of many dozens of books within your collection that meet these new requirements. Of course, there’ll be pushback of supposed discrimination against the LGBT faction. That’s a red herring. It’s ironic - that community fought so hard for so many years for equal representation - and they have it. Yet, when the mandate is equally applied to heterosexual and homosexual materials for minors, the gay community claims victimhood. Nevertheless, sexually-explicit is simply and exactly that – regardless of persuasion. There’s no carve out for any faction.
So, you can continue to condescend, spin, obfuscate and ignore patrons but you cannot ignore the law. Patrons, parents and concerned citizens will continue to be vigilant to ensure this new law is implemented."
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