Illinois Proposes Candidates for Library Board Have Library Cards
In a country where there are far more anti-library, pro-book banning bills launching than bills intended to protect them, Illinois continues to be a leader in protecting their public democratic institutions. This year, a new bill in the state would mandate that anyone seeking a position on a library board of trustees must be a library card holder to that library.
There are typically two types of people who run campaigns for or seek appointment to their local library board: people who love their libraries and people who are interested in getting involved in local politics. Though there is plenty of overlap between the two groups, we have seen over the last four years that some folks in the former are doing so in order to take advantage of the latter. In other words, the library board becomes a place where partisan politics can wreck havoc on a community’s local library.
Illinois House Bill 1589 would require anyone seeking a role on their library’s board of trustees to be a valid card holder to that library. It amends current state library code to include that library card requirement.
HB 1589 was introduced by Anne Stava-Murray, who represents Illinois’s 81st district. The district includes two Chicago suburban counties, DuPage and Will. Among the communities she represents are some of those which have dealt with bomb threats, ongoing harassment, and attempts to overtake public library (and public school) boards of trustees, including Downers Grove. She also represents parts of Naperville, which is home to the Southern Poverty Law Center designated hate group Awake Illinois, and her representation area abuts Wheaton, home to the far-right, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-public good initiative Breakthrough Ideas.
Stava-Murray has been a champion of public libraries throughout her tenure. She introduced legislation last year to amplify protections for library workers when defending materials in their collection–a bill that died upon the start of the new legislative session but will likely be revived this year. Stava-Murray was also a sponsor and supporter of Illinois’s anti-book ban law, the first to be passed in the country.
HB 1589 furthers the state’s commitment to strengthening protections for public libraries. This bill would ensure that those who want to have a say in their local library via the bound have a vested interest in their library by having a valid card. This requirement is a low bar, but it is one that ensures the community that the library serves sees the engagement with the institution from its governing and advisory body.
No one would be so naive to believe this means anti-public library activists would shy away from running or applying for a position on their local library board. But the requirement to have a library card would ensure that they are counted as part of the library’s served community–one card may be a drop in the bucket, but every number matters when it comes to the data and record keeping of use and engagement with public services. This is especially true right now, when numbers and data will become crucial tools in the fight against mis- and dis- information and federally-fueled propaganda.
Illinois has a Consolidated Election coming up on April 1, with a significant number of public library and public school board seats up for grabs. Several public library boards in the Chicago suburbs and beyond are seeing contested elections for those seats for the first time in ages. Among them are Helen Plum Library in Lombard, where there are nine candidates running for four open positions. Four of those candidates are part of a Christian nationalist party seeking to start taking over local boards.+ Another member of that party is seeking a board seat in Woodridge–part of Anne Stava-Murray’s 81st House District.*
Despite a lengthy search, it is unclear whether HB 1589 is the first of its kind nationwide effective at the state level. There are individual libraries elsewhere in the United States that require their board members to have a card–typically in public libraries where boards are appointed, rather than elected.
The bill is currently assigned to the House Ethics and Elections Committee. You can see who sits on that committee here.
If you’re an Illinois resident, take the time to write to your House representatives in support of the measure. If your representative is on the Ethics and Elections committee, continue to reach out to them in support of this bill. You can find out who represents you here.
Keep an eye on the progression of this bill via Legiscan. If the bill moves forward, you will be able to file a Witness Slip in support of the measure. The Illinois ACLU has an outstanding guide to how to file Witness Slips.**
If you’re not an Illinois resident, you can take action as well. Use the legislation here as an example of what you’d like to see your state legislators do. They work for you, and you have the ability to write and call their offices asking for similar legislation. Those who live in states which have passed anti-book ban legislation (check here), you might find you have especially sympathetic legislators to the cause of supporting public libraries.
Notes:
+Don’t be fooled by some of the progressive language embedded in their website. The organization seeks to push Christian nationalist philosophies further into the mainstream through efforts like running for local offices.
*More information about the upcoming Illinois elections is forthcoming. I’ve been working with a group of library advocates to build a guide to public school and public library candidates running statewide in contested elections. Anticipate that sometime later in March.
**If you’re an Illinois resident and not familiar with Witness Slips, know they are an incredible tool of feedback that allow us as residents to provide quick, effective yea and nay commentary on bills under consideration. It can be overwhelming to keep up with all of the bills, of course. You can take a bit of a shortcut by following the Illinois Witness Slip Project on Facebook, which provides suggested slips to file and in what direct. It is a pro-education, pro-library group.