ImagineIF Board votes to remove all references to American Library Association

The ImagineIF Board of Trustees voted Thursday to clarify its position of no longer being associated with the American Library Association.

The vote followed a Daily Inter Lake article published earlier this month looking into the board’s decision to drop Banned Books Week celebrations. Board Chair David Ingram previously said the move was based on a vote taken years ago to strip all references to the national group, which helps organize Banned Books Week, in the county library system. 

But library employees could find no evidence of that vote during a subsequent review of records. 

A majority of trustees believe that the national library association promotes Marxists beliefs and pushes a political agenda.

Trustee Doug Adams brought the topic back to the board at its Oct. 26 meeting. He said he remembers voting on the matter previously, but since no evidence of it can be found, he wanted a vote on a motion and a resolution. The motion would allow trustees to adopt resolutions while the resolution pertained to removing all references to the American Library Association.

Adams argued that the board needed a better system to track past decisions. He saw passing resolutions as a way to improve recordkeeping. Trustees largely disagreed with the option to add resolutions to the mix, and Ingram said he would discuss the matter with the County Attorney’s Office to see if it was even a possibility. 

Trustee Carmen Cuthbertson broke Adam’s resolution into two motions: the first being that the library remains a nonmember of the American Library Association and the second to remove all references to the organization. 

Cuthbertson’s motion changed the language in Adam’s original resolution in a way that gave outgoing Library Director Ashley Cummins pause. She said the board wouldn’t want to take away the plethora of job training resources offered through the national group and its subsidiaries. 

“Anyone who pursues an [Master of Library Sciences] while on staff is eligible for state funding to do that and that degree is an ALA accredited degree,” Cummins said. “I think you're shooting yourself in the foot if you go too far with it.”

Cuthbertson agreed that they didn’t want to exclude those resources from staff. Trustees then deliberated about the language of the motion before reverting back to what Adam’s original resolution described. They settled on ensuring the county library system’s policies, print and online marketing, programming and outreach events did not include any mention or reference of the American Library Association. 

Cummins confirmed with trustees that both motions allowed the possibility for staff to take part in those job training programs or to be individual members of the national organization. 

Both of Cuthbertson’s motions passed, with Trustee Jane Wheeler voting no on both. 

Opponents of the campaign to move away from the American Library System were outspoken at the ImagineIF board meeting. The ALA encompasses many aspects of the library sector, including professional development and promotional programs. 

Along with Wheeler, who expressed her disappointment at the position of her fellow trustees about the American Library Association, residents Diane Taylor-Menke and Margaret Davis voiced their support for the organization.  

The next ImagineIF Library Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Dec. 7 at the South Campus Conference room, located at 40 11th St. W in Kalispell.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.