Statement on Censorship at Orem Public Library

The Utah Library Association previously issued a statement¹ in June 2022 about Orem Public Library’s censorship of Pride Displays. At that time, we expressed our concern about censorship and requested that Orem City Council members publicly and transparently address their actions in this matter, rescind any directives they have given to the library related to displays of materials, and commit to refraining from issuing future directives that seek to restrict library staff from carrying out the mission of the library or that seek to limit access to information for the residents of Orem.

Subsequently, the Orem Public Library discontinued all heritage month displays, and staff understood that they could not speak publicly about this directive under threat of reprisal. The Daily Herald broke a troubling story² detailing censorship and politically motivated interference with the operations of the Orem Public Library. These stories confirm earlier articles,³ which covered allegations of censorship of Pride and other Heritage Month displays in the library. In addition to the Herald reporting, a current employee has spoken out in a blog post,⁴ despite concern for the safety of her job. Additionally, an editorial⁵ by city Councilwoman LaNae Millett clarifies that the Orem City Council supports the censorship of previously planned heritage displays.

This act of censorship is not only a disservice to the Orem community, but also an act of overreach by the city government. The public library exists to serve ALL people, and, as an institution, the library is both a legal and a symbolic embodiment of the fundamental American value that we all have the right to self-direct, think for ourselves, read, learn, and engage with ideas and information without government interference. For this reason, by state law and tradition, public libraries are governed and funded with some amount of insulation from political interference from partisan elected politicians. When politicians overstep and impose their personal beliefs, issue directives outside the legal framework of open public meetings, and back up their illicit directives with implicit or explicit threats of defunding or staff reprisal, they are behaving in an illegitimate manner inconsistent with good government and the public interest. When they direct a library to censor displays and collections based on topic or viewpoint, they are also violating the First Amendment, which only allows the government to enforce “time, place, and manner” restrictions. These actions put taxpayers in financial jeopardy of shouldering the burden of civil damages.

The librarians at Orem Public Library should have the autonomy to abide by the professional ethics of librarianship. This includes the ethic that librarians offer a wide, diverse range of ideas and viewpoints in their collections and programming. Heritage month displays are an opportunity to help people discover and learn about the variety of people and cultures that make up the tapestry of our communities. Reading widely helps us build understanding of individuals and traditions different from our own, leading to empathy and tolerance, which are necessary to the healthy functioning of America’s pluralistic civic society.

Policies regarding displays and reconsideration of library materials should govern the issue. Orem Library’s Collection Development Policy,⁶ clearly states that, “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” The policy also outlines the process for reconsideration of materials. If a book is questioned by a patron, a librarian and manager will jointly make a decision based on set criteria in a transparent process that can be escalated if an appeal is made. Heritage Displays should be governed by a similar process that is codified in a library policy. The city government discontinuing planned heritage month displays without any recourse denies due process which protects the interests of all community members.

It remains unclear what role the Orem Library Commission played in enabling the reported censorship. Under Utah state Law (9-7-404), the Commission has the sole responsibility to enact library policy. We ask the Commission to offer all Orem residents a clear statement that they will oppose political pressure to limit access to materials.

We ask the Orem City Council to publicly acknowledge that under the state law, the Commission is not simply an “Advisory Commission” as stated by Council Person and Commission Liaison LaNae Millett, but has full authority to set library policy. We also call on the Orem City Council to provide a full accounting of their involvement in canceling the Pride, Hispanic Heritage, and other displays, and offer a public commitment to refrain from illegitimate political meddling in library operations.

• Utah Library Association: Marissa Bischoff, President; Katie Wegner and Rikki Carter,
  Intellectual Freedom Co-Chairs; Peter Bromberg and Rebekah Cummings, Advocacy
  Co-Chairs
• Equality Utah: Troy Williams, Executive Director
• NAACP Salt Lake Branch: Jeanetta Williams, President
• Utah Educational Library Media Association: Michele Edgley, President
• Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce: Liz Pitts, She|They, President & CEO
• Utah Valley Parents Alliance: Amy Carr, Chair; Christine Crane, Co-Chair