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Residents press council to allow library to adopt completed policies while arts-policy language is revised
Summary
Members of the public asked the Fergus Falls City Council to approve library policies that staff said were ready, rather than hold them pending the library's arts-policy review. Speakers argued the council's delay was hampering library operations and urged trust in the library board's process.
At the March 3 open forum, Fergus Falls residents urged the city council to let the library implement routine policy updates that library staff said were ready, rather than delay them while the library's arts-policy language is reconsidered.
"The council simply got in the way of the workings of the library," said Kate Fisler, who identified herself as a Fergus Falls resident, recounting council discussion in February and urging the council to approve the other completed policies now while the arts-policy wording is revisited. "Trust them to know what language works best for them to reach and support their patrons. There's no need for council members to police the language of the public library," she said.
Fisler described a sequence of meetings: on Feb. 3 a resident (Kwame) challenged the library's arts policy and requested removal of the words "inclusion" and "equity"; on Feb. 18 the library director provided a timeline and asked the council to confirm other policies that were not under challenge. Fisler said the director's request to approve those other policies was not honored and that the delay "is making it harder and less effective for our library board and the staff to do what they do best, serve our community." She asked the council to approve the completed policies and allow the library board to continue revising the arts policy over the next months.
Another speaker during open forum, Duane Cookman, said he agreed with Council member Kwame's concern about the use of the word "equity," saying "equity is no matter where you start, you're all the same at the end," and warned the term has been "misused." The council did not take formal action on the library policies at this meeting; the public comment was placed on the record.
The library arts-policy matter previously returned to council discussion in February; at this March meeting residents urged the council to favor timely adoption of policies that staff and the library board have already completed while the arts-policy language is worked out. Councilors and staff did not announce any change to the earlier direction to the library board during the March 3 meeting.
