Huntsville Public Library (TX) Privatized After Pride Display

The Huntsville Public Library (HPL) has been nether occurrence since this summer, erstwhile a publication show riled up metropolis officials. Now, pursuing the removal of 2 publication displays astatine the nationalist library, the metropolis decided to privatize the library.

Though officials assertion the determination to prosecute Library Services & Systems (LS&S) volition trim room operational costs implicit the adjacent 10 years, it comes connected the heels of the metropolis removing a Pride publication show and a Banned Books Week show successful September. City Manager Aron Kulhavy called for the displays to beryllium taken down, temporarily closing the library. Following the removal of some displays, the room was told they could not make immoderate further displays, pending the city’s reappraisal of policies and procedures astir them. The City Librarian was besides placed connected leave.

When asked why the displays were taken down, Kulhavy said it was to “better respond to national concerns from each viewpoints.”

In October, a room idiosyncratic identified further suspicious behavior. A metropolis constabulary serviceman was behind the circulation table reviewing books, reportedly taking 1 with him and approving the remainder of the titles arsenic ones that were good to instrumentality to the collection. The room committee has had nary accidental successful immoderate of these decisions.

Three months later, the room inactive has nary quality to enactment up displays.

The room and metropolis person been astatine likelihood since, culminating successful a connection by the metropolis to person the nationalist room taken implicit by LS&S. Employees astatine HPL received letters past week stating that their jobs would extremity successful precocious January were LS&S to instrumentality over. In bid to support their jobs, employees would request to re-interview with the company. The president of the room board, Michelle Lyons, has asked the metropolis to hold voting connected the privatization, but the metropolis proceeded with the ballot astatine the December 20, 2022, meeting.

“If they’re making a determination arsenic large arsenic privatizing our room and taking distant our quality and our library’s quality to take the programming we person and however the unit is handled, that’s thing we should person astatine slightest been alert of,” Lyons said to Houston Public Media. “We person had nary accidental to person conversations with anybody from the metropolis astir however we consciousness oregon our concerns astir this peculiar vendor. None of it has been discussed.”

LS&S is notorious successful the satellite of nationalist libraries for however it has changed the cardinal intent of the institution. While it is imaginable employees presently astatine HPL whitethorn beryllium rehired by the company, erstwhile a backstage endeavor takes implicit a nationalist institution, it is fundamentally altered. No longer is it section and tailored to its community. LS&S volition beryllium beholden to the metropolis of Huntsville, meaning that the metropolis manager and his squad volition person nonstop input connected the library’s operations.

The American Library Association (ALA), the largest nonrecreational relation for room workers, responded to the imaginable takeover by LS&S connected Twitter yesterday, anterior to the meeting, stating “ALA affirms that publically funded libraries should stay straight accountable to the nationalist they serve. Therefore, the ALA opposes the shifting of policymaking and absorption oversight of room services for the nationalist to the backstage for-profit sector.” But erstwhile asked whether anyone from ALA would beryllium successful attendance astatine the gathering oregon communicating with the city, they did not respond. ALA has a toolkit opposing outsourcing of nationalist room operations disposable connected their website, but has historically allowed companies similar LS&S to sponsor scholarships for the organization. LS&S led a presumption at this year’s ALA Annual Conference.

The metropolis of Huntsville voted 6-3 to prosecute LS&S, who volition instrumentality implicit successful January. Both the metropolis manager and the main of constabulary have declined interviews with Houston country media. Citizens had the accidental to talk astatine the meeting, but they were not heard. Moreover, the velocity by which the metropolis moved to marque this alteration without immoderate input oregon treatment with the library, its board, oregon its users, is particularly concerning. Documents amusement the metropolis entered treatment with LS&S November 2, but did not amusement up connected the nationalist gathering docket until December 15–five days anterior to the vote.

That aforesaid day, December 15, room workers received honors by the metropolis for their fantabulous lawsuit work astatine the yearly vacation luncheon. They returned from the lawsuit with the announcement of LS&S’s imaginable takeover and that their declaration with the metropolis would extremity successful January.

There was nary clip for nationalist input oregon an accusation forum anterior to the gathering wherever the ballot happened.

Huntsville is simply a assemblage municipality of 45,000, and it has a increasing LGBTQ+ population. With LS&S present entering the representation and a metropolis manager anxious to erase the beingness of queer radical (and banned books), the room volition nary longer beryllium a assets for the community, but a instrumentality for the metropolis authorities to propulsion their ain agendas and beliefs.

A large interest for citizens and room advocates pursuing this takeover is LS&S’s stance connected censorship. Given that their directive volition travel from the city, it’s hard not to ideate that publication removal–”weeding,” arsenic it volition apt beryllium framed–will hap astatine the discretion of metropolis leaders. Moreover, the astir vocal advocates for the nationalist room and its committedness to the First Amendment rights for each whitethorn nary longer spot themselves moving astatine the institution.

This is simply a devastating nonaccomplishment for the city, for its citizens, and for nationalist services and goods much broadly.