SPRINGDALE -- The Springdale Public Library Board voted Tuesday to change some of its policies.
Library Director Anne Gresham said the changes are in response to the possible implementation of Act 372, which would put appeals of objectionable books in the hands of quorum courts across the state. The Library Board voted 4-0 in favor of each of the three policies.
Gresham said she would ask City Attorney Ernest Cate to review the policies before they are put into use Aug. 14, the first day of school for students in the Springdale School District.
Starting that day, the library will require increased parental supervision. Children ages 12 and younger will require parent or guardian supervision at all times in any department of the library, the policy states. Children ages 13 and 14 do not need direct supervision, but a parent or guardian must be present in the library. Children ages 15 and older do not require supervision and may use the library freely.
The library staff does not have the personnel or time to directly monitor children's behavior and their decisions on what books to read, Gresham said. The policy reiterates that parents are responsible for their children's use and selection of library materials. The Library Board also decided to review the policy in six months. Gresham said that guidelines for teen programming and volunteers will change with this measure.
The second policy puts into place a procedure to ask for the removal of a book from the library's shelves. A patron would make a request to library staff, and the book would be reviewed by the director. If the patron does not agree with the library director's ruling, the appeal would be heard by a group of five librarians of the Springdale library. If the patron does not agree with that decision, appealing to the Library Board would be the next step. The Library Board's decision will be final for three years, the policy notes.
The library might decide to move a book to a different section or remove the book from the shelves. Books removed from the shelves will be retained in library offices and available to patrons by requesting a staff member, Gresham said.
However, Act 372 would give the county the final authority to review and remove books from shelves. It would supersede the Springdale policy, Gresham noted.
The third policy change for the Springdale library involves the way the library staff considers adding new books to its collection.
The library's new policy lists 11 criteria reviewed by librarians to consider a book. The policy also lists professional library resources the staff uses to determine a book's contribution to the library's collection. At least two positive reviews are required, Gresham said.
The criteria include a book's appeal to the interests and needs of individuals in the community, authority of the work, clarity, readability, price and more, the policy notes.
"Decisions will not be made in anticipation of approval or disapproval of the public," Gresham said. "The book will be considered in its whole for its value, not by one piece that might be objectionable."