(10-22-23) The Mercer County District Library Renewal Levy is up for renewal during the November 7th election.
There has been some concern by area residents when the Library’s October board meeting was cancelled. Several individuals were looking to get answers to a situation with graphic books that are placed in the teen area of the library. They were disappointed the meeting was not rescheduled, with the November meeting not to be held until after the election.
Library Director Liz Muether replied to the Outlook on the situation:
Email from Liz Muether to Board Trustees on cancellation of the meeting—
Good afternoon Board Members-
My daughter won at Sectionals yesterday and is advancing to Districts which will be held in Port Clinton on Wednesday, October 11. Due to not having any really pressing business and several Board Members unable to attend on the proposed alternate date the following week, Mr. Watts and I have decided to just cancel October’s meeting.
I wanted to again take a moment to extend my appreciation for your commitment and participation with the special board meetings held in August. I am cautiously optimistic that our efforts to get the levy on the ballot will result in it passing successfully. I truly appreciate your continued support and dedication. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Liz
The following titles were moved from the Graphic Novel section located in the Teen area to the Adult Graphic Novel section which was created in March of this year.
“Seaside Stranger” by Kii Kanna (graphic novel series) categorized as Adult Graphic Novel in March of 2023, the books are currently checked out with a hold list.
“The Stranger” by Jacquez Ferranrex (graphic version of Nobel Prize winning book by Arthur Camus) categorized as an Adult Graphic Novel in March of 2023 this book was stolen from our collection at some point this summer.
The poetry book “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur was always categorized as Adult and shelved in the adult non-fiction collection. It was part of the Celina High School Book discussion group in April of this year and was briefly on the book discussions display. It was removed from the book discussions display after about a week in April. This book, Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaurm, was also stolen from our collection at some point this summer and is no longer in our library’s collection. It was marked missing on August 7, 2023.
We utilize numerous professional library resources as well as rely on educated and experienced staff to determine the categorization of library materials. Our library is run by policy and procedures set by our library board of trustees.
Our library continually strives to be an integral part of the community it serves by providing materials and services for residents of all ages for personal enrichment, enjoyment, and educational needs. The library is dedicated to providing timely and practical access to all forms of media. The educational needs of the community will be supported with adult programming as well as programs developed to stimulate children’s interests and appreciation for reading and learning.
Furthermore, our library is open to all. We provide materials and services to everyone without prejudice. The library cannot and will not discriminate. We encourage all parents to visit the library with their children and choose books together.
Finally, parental rights are of the utmost importance to our library. No one under the age of 18 is permitted to check out materials from our library without a parent or legal guardian (with proper identification) registering them for a library card. We are working towards educating parents on using the library’s app and website to access their children’s accounts allowing parents to monitor account activity. Additionally, parents are able, at any time, to request additional restrictions on their children’s accounts to limit access to library materials and services. Through our monthly newsletter and on social media we strive to be an integral part of the community we serve by providing information about our services for residents of all ages for personal enrichment, enjoyment, and educational needs. While the library can never replace a parent’s presence we understand that parents may not always be able to accompany their child to the library. Our hope is that parents can utilize the tools that the library currently offers as we continue to work with our ILS (Integrated Library System) vendor to see if there are additional resources and settings that can be made available to our library in the future.
I have always had an open door policy and welcome anyone with concerns to reach out or stop in. Thank you for reaching out and for your continued support of our libraries. I’ve attached a fact sheet about our upcoming levy.
Did you know….
In February 2022, Milk and Honey was listed as #47 on a list of 50 books that “conservative” parents wanted banned from public schools in the state of Texas. Kaur called the ban “disturbing” during an interview with CTV News. The book was banned in multiple school districts in Missouri in 2023. PEN America listed the book as one of the 11 most banned books in the 2022-2023 school year because it explores issues of sexual assault and violence. About the bans, Kaur wrote on Instagram-
“I remember sitting in my school library in high school, turning to books about sexual assault because I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. this is the reality for many students.”
Mercer County Outlook 