500 signatures reached
To: Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo
Support Our Corpus Christi Libraries
The Corpus Christi Public Library (CCPL) Advisory Board has been attempting to censor our library collection, rewrite the Collection Development Policy, and undermine our constitutional rights after a majority were appointed in October 2023 in a very irregular and questionable manner by a majority of the City Council.
Instead of making three reappointments of qualified candidates, the Council broke practice and appointed five new advisory board members who have consistently discussed the CCPL Collection Development Policy and almost nothing else. A subcommittee was formed to make recommendations but no consensus was reached on the recommendations so the advisory board could not vote on them. The recommendations were added to and resurrected for the next advisory library board’s meeting agenda.
Some of these include:
Some of these include:
- Removing terminology and passages in the policy, including terms like “Diversity,” “Equity,” “Inclusion,” and “Democracy.”
- Removing principles and references reflecting American Library Association (ALA) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
- Changing the Reconsideration Policy so the Advisory Library Board has a final say on a challenged book.
- Removing the requirement that the whole book be read in its entirety to challenge the book (Miller Test).
- Removing parental or guardian’s responsibility for items checked out to a minor (part of an effort to criminalize professional librarians).
- Creating a library card especially designated for minors that comes with a “Parent Guide”.
We demand that the Corpus Christi Public Library Advisory Board:
- Cease their attempts to restrict books and censor information in our Corpus Christi Public Libraries and leave the Collection Development Policy alone since it is up for review next year.
- Trust and allow professional public library staff to do the job for which they were hired and trained.
- Advocate for CCPL to be funded in a manner comparable to communities is size to Corpus Christi since our public library system is chronically underfunded, and it is a stated goal and objective for 2024 in the Advisory Library Board’s Annual Report to City Council.
Why is this important?
We believe that public libraries are for everyone, and censorship is Anti-American. We also believe in and trust our professional librarians and city staff. Library operations and collection development should be left in their hands. This unfairly appointed advisory library board is sowing seeds of mistrust and hate. We want to put love over hate, respect over mistrust.