Library Battles Continue

News from the New Hampshire Front

These have been interesting times for New Hampshire public libraries. In my hometown of Atkinson, where I recently ran for library trustee, I came within ten votes of beating a 15-year incumbent, and so I continue my struggles to speak out at library trustee meetings as a private citizen (see below). The board of trustees at my former employer, the Dudley-Tucker Library in Raymond, made the bold move of voting to eliminate the director’s position, calling in to question whether such a figurehead is even needed. Meanwhile, Governor Kelly Ayotte has yet to appoint a replacement for the state librarian who retired almost two years ago, leaving assistant state librarian Mindy Atwood in charge. Atwood was nominated by outgoing Governor Chris Sununu, but her nomination was rescinded when it became apparent that she was a paragon of wokeness.

I only have time right now for a brief report on the expected repeal of a peculiar state library law. I plan on posting more extensively during my summer break from teaching, so stay tuned for much more news from New Hampshire!

Regarding the repeal of RSA 201-A:10 (VII), when I became a New Hampshire state representative back in 2022, it had already become apparent to me that libraries had succumbed to a woke ideology, so I familiarized myself with the state’s library laws. I came across a section of the state’s law detailing the powers granted to the state librarian. Among these powers was the ability to “Award scholarships to qualified persons to attend a graduate library school accredited by the American Library Association.”

What bothered me initially about this law was its mention of the American Library Association, which I have criticized at great length in previous articles for its far-left political agenda. It didn’t seem right to enshrine such an organization in state law. After further research, it appeared that there were very few specific professional associations mentioned in state law and no indications that any state agencies had the authority to award graduate school scholarships. It became obvious to me and my colleague State Rep. Mike Drago (R-Raymond) that this law must be repealed. I have since completed my term, but Rep. Drago continues to fight for effective library legislation. To add to the argument for the repeal of this law, this power had not been exercised by the state librarian in over twenty years. What was most important to Rep. Drago and me, however, was not the past usage of this law, but its potential future abuse.

Unlike some library bills such as those pertaining to inappropriate material in children’s rooms and parental access to library records, this bill easily passed both the House and Senate and simply awaits signage by the governor. Rep. Drago and I consider it a big win that puts yet another nail in the coffin of the American Library Association and also diminishes the perceived value of graduate programs in library science. In New Hampshire, a master’s degree in library science (MLS) is not required to be a library director. The law that Rep. Drago and I sought to repeal suggested that such a degree was essential, but, as I plan to expose in a future article, graduate library science programs indoctrinate rather than educate future library personnel.

Stay tuned for much more news from New Hampshire. To quote our state motto, “Live free or die!”