The Saline County Library Alliance will host a meeting at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the headquarters of the Saline County Democratic Party in Downtown Benton.
Although the meeting is being held at the Democratic headquarters, organizer Bailey Morgan wants to be clear that the SCLA is a “non-partisan coalition, and that we are accepting and welcoming of all people who support the Saline County Library.”
The meeting will focus on orientation and volunteer training.
According to Morgan, the group formed a loose coalition to defend the library.
Morgan said he began organizing as soon as he found out about the challenges to the local library.
“I went into defense mode, I don’t see this a partisan issue at all,” said Morgan.
It all comes in the wake of Act 372, which was passed by the Arkansas State Legislature and signed by Gov. Sarah Sanders.
The law created a criminal offense if librarians “furnish a harmful item to a minor” or fail to report the occurrence. The law defines this as a “live performance or exhibition that depicts nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse.”
The Saline County Quorum Court recently at its April meeting approved a resolution requesting the library to ensure materials in the children’s section are “subject matter and age appropriate.”
Saline County residents will be able to officially begin challenging specific materials in the library under the new law when it take effect. Supporters of the resolution expressed concerns about certain books in the children’s section, several of the complaints were about books concerning race, sex and sexual identity.
If the public comments from the recent Quorum Court meeting are any indicator, there are already several Saline County residents prepared to challenge certain materials in the library.
In April, Patty Hector, director of the Saline County Library, was already overwhelmed with FOIA requests from a Saline County resident about the library's payroll, circulation reports and attendance records of events.
In an interview, Hector expressed disappointment in the justices of the peaces’ decision and said her hands were tied as to how to respond to the resolution. Hector referenced a 2002 court decision in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, Counts v. Cedarville School District.
In the case, Billy Ray Counts and Mary Nell Counts, parents of a student in the Cedarville School District, filed suit against the school district for violating their son’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights when they restricted students’ access to certain books in the school library. The court sided with Counts in the decision, stating that restricting access to certain books is a violation of first amendment rights.
The books in question in the case were the Harry Potter series, which was restricted because the books taught about “witchcraft.”
“What can I do? It’s illegal for me to remove materials or relocate materials,” said Hector.
Hector pointed out that the library already has a policy for the appeal or reconsideration of certain materials.
Another priority of the Alliance, other than defending the library, is educating the public to how local government works.
“A big priority is educating the general public, not just about the library but about local government in general. I was shocked to learn how many people thought the Quorum Court was an actual court and when people don’t understand their county government, that creates a major obstacle,” said Morgan.
