SRRT (Social Responsibilities Round Table)

Commission votes to pull Montana's membership in the American Library Association, citing president's Marxist beliefs and sparking concern among local librarians.

Montana Free Press, 7/11/2023

A seven-member commission voted Tuesday to immediately withdraw the Montana State Library from membership in the American Library Association, a national nonprofit founded in 1876 that advocates for and provides services to tens of thousands of libraries across the country.

The Montana State Library Commission's decision came in response to a 2022 tweet posted by current ALA President Emily Drabinski describing herself as a "Marxist Lesbian," which quickly drew the attention of conservative media outlets nationwide. In his motion to "immediately withdraw" the state library from the association, commissioner Tom Burnett directed that a letter be sent to the ALA explaining that "our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist."

Burnett was joined by five other members of the commission in supporting the motion, among them state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. Newly seated commissioner Brian Rossmann, who works as an associate professor at the Montana State University Library, cast the sole opposing vote. Commission Chair Peggy Taylor abstained.

As demonstrated by nearly an hour of public comment before Tuesday's vote, the Montana State Library's separation from the ALA is the latest development in a broader debate about the nature of books available in public schools and libraries. Several prominent members of the self-styled parental rights movement spoke in favor of the withdrawal, including Bozeman parent Cheryl Tusken and Moms for Liberty Montana chapter treasurer Jessie Browning. Both testified regularly during the 2023 Montana Legislature in support of proposals such as House Bill 234, the state's so-called obscenity bill.

"I think this is a really good move to send a really clear signal to our national organizations that we are not in agreement with the direction they are taking these organizations," Tusken said, likening the motion to the Montana School Boards Association's decision last year to withdraw from the National School Boards Association. That decision was fueled by the NSBA's request for federal assistance in addressing widespread threats against teachers and school board members over COVID-19 mask mandates and other issues - threats the NSBA likened to domestic terrorism.

Tusken and other parents were joined in public comment Tuesday by Derek Oestreicher, legal counsel for the conservative Montana Family Foundation, and by David Ingram, a board trustee at Kalispell's ImagineIF library. Both framed their support for withdrawing the state library from ALA membership in the context of national culture-war issues, claiming the organization embraces policies tied to critical race theory and uses public funds to, as Ingram stated, "undermine truth and natural law."

Here is the statement from the Montana Library Association

MLA Statement in Response to Montana State Library Commission Decision to Withdraw from ALA

Statement from the Montana State Librarian at the end of this article

Montana State Library Commission votes to withdraw from national association

Worth noting that, to the best of my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong) the last time a state chapter withdrew from ALA it was the early 1960s and four states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and George) resigned over their refusal or inability to integrate their library associations.

Commission votes to pull Montana's membership in the American Library Association, citing president's Marxist beliefs and sparking concern among local librarians.

Montana Free Press, 7/11/2023

A seven-member commission voted Tuesday to immediately withdraw the Montana State Library from membership in the American Library Association, a national nonprofit founded in 1876 that advocates for and provides services to tens of thousands of libraries across the country.

The Montana State Library Commission's decision came in response to a 2022 tweet posted by current ALA President Emily Drabinski describing herself as a "Marxist Lesbian," which quickly drew the attention of conservative media outlets nationwide. In his motion to "immediately withdraw" the state library from the association, commissioner Tom Burnett directed that a letter be sent to the ALA explaining that "our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist."

Burnett was joined by five other members of the commission in supporting the motion, among them state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. Newly seated commissioner Brian Rossmann, who works as an associate professor at the Montana State University Library, cast the sole opposing vote. Commission Chair Peggy Taylor abstained.

As demonstrated by nearly an hour of public comment before Tuesday's vote, the Montana State Library's separation from the ALA is the latest development in a broader debate about the nature of books available in public schools and libraries. Several prominent members of the self-styled parental rights movement spoke in favor of the withdrawal, including Bozeman parent Cheryl Tusken and Moms for Liberty Montana chapter treasurer Jessie Browning. Both testified regularly during the 2023 Montana Legislature in support of proposals such as House Bill 234, the state's so-called obscenity bill.

"I think this is a really good move to send a really clear signal to our national organizations that we are not in agreement with the direction they are taking these organizations," Tusken said, likening the motion to the Montana School Boards Association's decision last year to withdraw from the National School Boards Association. That decision was fueled by the NSBA's request for federal assistance in addressing widespread threats against teachers and school board members over COVID-19 mask mandates and other issues - threats the NSBA likened to domestic terrorism.

Tusken and other parents were joined in public comment Tuesday by Derek Oestreicher, legal counsel for the conservative Montana Family Foundation, and by David Ingram, a board trustee at Kalispell's ImagineIF library. Both framed their support for withdrawing the state library from ALA membership in the context of national culture-war issues, claiming the organization embraces policies tied to critical race theory and uses public funds to, as Ingram stated, "undermine truth and natural law."

Here is the statement from the Montana Library Association

MLA Statement in Response to Montana State Library Commission Decision to Withdraw from ALA

Statement from the Montana State Librarian at the end of this article

Montana State Library Commission votes to withdraw from national association

Worth noting that, to the best of my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong) the last time a state chapter withdrew from ALA it was the early 1960s and four states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and George) resigned over their refusal or inability to integrate their library associations.

Commission votes to pull Montana's membership in the American Library Association, citing president's Marxist beliefs and sparking concern among local librarians.

Montana Free Press, 7/11/2023

A seven-member commission voted Tuesday to immediately withdraw the Montana State Library from membership in the American Library Association, a national nonprofit founded in 1876 that advocates for and provides services to tens of thousands of libraries across the country.

The Montana State Library Commission's decision came in response to a 2022 tweet posted by current ALA President Emily Drabinski describing herself as a "Marxist Lesbian," which quickly drew the attention of conservative media outlets nationwide. In his motion to "immediately withdraw" the state library from the association, commissioner Tom Burnett directed that a letter be sent to the ALA explaining that "our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist."

Burnett was joined by five other members of the commission in supporting the motion, among them state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. Newly seated commissioner Brian Rossmann, who works as an associate professor at the Montana State University Library, cast the sole opposing vote. Commission Chair Peggy Taylor abstained.

As demonstrated by nearly an hour of public comment before Tuesday's vote, the Montana State Library's separation from the ALA is the latest development in a broader debate about the nature of books available in public schools and libraries. Several prominent members of the self-styled parental rights movement spoke in favor of the withdrawal, including Bozeman parent Cheryl Tusken and Moms for Liberty Montana chapter treasurer Jessie Browning. Both testified regularly during the 2023 Montana Legislature in support of proposals such as House Bill 234, the state's so-called obscenity bill.

"I think this is a really good move to send a really clear signal to our national organizations that we are not in agreement with the direction they are taking these organizations," Tusken said, likening the motion to the Montana School Boards Association's decision last year to withdraw from the National School Boards Association. That decision was fueled by the NSBA's request for federal assistance in addressing widespread threats against teachers and school board members over COVID-19 mask mandates and other issues - threats the NSBA likened to domestic terrorism.

Tusken and other parents were joined in public comment Tuesday by Derek Oestreicher, legal counsel for the conservative Montana Family Foundation, and by David Ingram, a board trustee at Kalispell's ImagineIF library. Both framed their support for withdrawing the state library from ALA membership in the context of national culture-war issues, claiming the organization embraces policies tied to critical race theory and uses public funds to, as Ingram stated, "undermine truth and natural law."

Here is the statement from the Montana Library Association

MLA Statement in Response to Montana State Library Commission Decision to Withdraw from ALA

Statement from the Montana State Librarian at the end of this article

Montana State Library Commission votes to withdraw from national association

Worth noting that, to the best of my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong) the last time a state chapter withdrew from ALA it was the early 1960s and four states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and George) resigned over their refusal or inability to integrate their library associations.

Commission votes to pull Montana's membership in the American Library Association, citing president's Marxist beliefs and sparking concern among local librarians.

Montana Free Press, 7/11/2023

A seven-member commission voted Tuesday to immediately withdraw the Montana State Library from membership in the American Library Association, a national nonprofit founded in 1876 that advocates for and provides services to tens of thousands of libraries across the country.

The Montana State Library Commission's decision came in response to a 2022 tweet posted by current ALA President Emily Drabinski describing herself as a "Marxist Lesbian," which quickly drew the attention of conservative media outlets nationwide. In his motion to "immediately withdraw" the state library from the association, commissioner Tom Burnett directed that a letter be sent to the ALA explaining that "our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist."

Burnett was joined by five other members of the commission in supporting the motion, among them state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. Newly seated commissioner Brian Rossmann, who works as an associate professor at the Montana State University Library, cast the sole opposing vote. Commission Chair Peggy Taylor abstained.

As demonstrated by nearly an hour of public comment before Tuesday's vote, the Montana State Library's separation from the ALA is the latest development in a broader debate about the nature of books available in public schools and libraries. Several prominent members of the self-styled parental rights movement spoke in favor of the withdrawal, including Bozeman parent Cheryl Tusken and Moms for Liberty Montana chapter treasurer Jessie Browning. Both testified regularly during the 2023 Montana Legislature in support of proposals such as House Bill 234, the state's so-called obscenity bill.

"I think this is a really good move to send a really clear signal to our national organizations that we are not in agreement with the direction they are taking these organizations," Tusken said, likening the motion to the Montana School Boards Association's decision last year to withdraw from the National School Boards Association. That decision was fueled by the NSBA's request for federal assistance in addressing widespread threats against teachers and school board members over COVID-19 mask mandates and other issues - threats the NSBA likened to domestic terrorism.

Tusken and other parents were joined in public comment Tuesday by Derek Oestreicher, legal counsel for the conservative Montana Family Foundation, and by David Ingram, a board trustee at Kalispell's ImagineIF library. Both framed their support for withdrawing the state library from ALA membership in the context of national culture-war issues, claiming the organization embraces policies tied to critical race theory and uses public funds to, as Ingram stated, "undermine truth and natural law."

Jacobin has just published a very good article about the Montana State Library Commission's attacks on Emily, "Montana Conservatives Are Stoking McCarthyist, Homophobic Attacks on a Librarian" by Branko Marcetic. https://jacobin.com/2023/07/american-library-association-emily-drabinski-montana-state-library-right-wing-homophobia-anticommunism

-- Mark

Here is the statement from the Montana Library Association

MLA Statement in Response to Montana State Library Commission Decision to Withdraw from ALA

Statement from the Montana State Librarian at the end of this article

Montana State Library Commission votes to withdraw from national association

Worth noting that, to the best of my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong) the last time a state chapter withdrew from ALA it was the early 1960s and four states (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and George) resigned over their refusal or inability to integrate their library associations.

Commission votes to pull Montana's membership in the American Library Association, citing president's Marxist beliefs and sparking concern among local librarians.

Montana Free Press, 7/11/2023

A seven-member commission voted Tuesday to immediately withdraw the Montana State Library from membership in the American Library Association, a national nonprofit founded in 1876 that advocates for and provides services to tens of thousands of libraries across the country.

The Montana State Library Commission's decision came in response to a 2022 tweet posted by current ALA President Emily Drabinski describing herself as a "Marxist Lesbian," which quickly drew the attention of conservative media outlets nationwide. In his motion to "immediately withdraw" the state library from the association, commissioner Tom Burnett directed that a letter be sent to the ALA explaining that "our oath of office and resulting duty to the Constitution forbids association with an organization led by a Marxist."

Burnett was joined by five other members of the commission in supporting the motion, among them state Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. Newly seated commissioner Brian Rossmann, who works as an associate professor at the Montana State University Library, cast the sole opposing vote. Commission Chair Peggy Taylor abstained.

As demonstrated by nearly an hour of public comment before Tuesday's vote, the Montana State Library's separation from the ALA is the latest development in a broader debate about the nature of books available in public schools and libraries. Several prominent members of the self-styled parental rights movement spoke in favor of the withdrawal, including Bozeman parent Cheryl Tusken and Moms for Liberty Montana chapter treasurer Jessie Browning. Both testified regularly during the 2023 Montana Legislature in support of proposals such as House Bill 234, the state's so-called obscenity bill.

"I think this is a really good move to send a really clear signal to our national organizations that we are not in agreement with the direction they are taking these organizations," Tusken said, likening the motion to the Montana School Boards Association's decision last year to withdraw from the National School Boards Association. That decision was fueled by the NSBA's request for federal assistance in addressing widespread threats against teachers and school board members over COVID-19 mask mandates and other issues - threats the NSBA likened to domestic terrorism.

Tusken and other parents were joined in public comment Tuesday by Derek Oestreicher, legal counsel for the conservative Montana Family Foundation, and by David Ingram, a board trustee at Kalispell's ImagineIF library. Both framed their support for withdrawing the state library from ALA membership in the context of national culture-war issues, claiming the organization embraces policies tied to critical race theory and uses public funds to, as Ingram stated, "undermine truth and natural law."