Trustees debate wording and process for short statement of library values; adoption scheduled for next meeting

Members of the Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees reviewed a proposed short statement of values intended for display in the library lobby and discussed process and specific wording before taking formal action.

The advocacy committee presented a concise “credo”-style statement aimed at increasing public readability compared with a longer 2022 letter. Trustees discussed whether the board could adopt the statement at tonight’s meeting; the city attorney’s advice was cited that adoption would require placement on a future agenda, so the board did not adopt it this evening.

Board debate focused on word choice and audience signals: some trustees favored retaining the phrase “parental choice” and “local control” because those phrases reflect terms used in conversations with legislators, while others expressed concern those words could be read as aligning the library with school-voucher advocates. Alternatives suggested included using “caregivers” or “family choice” to be more inclusive. Trustees also discussed whether the language should be titled as board values or as a general library statement and whether design treatment (graphic poster) should be prepared after text is finalized.

The board agreed to bring a finalized version of the short statement back for consideration and potential adoption at the next meeting. Staff and the advocacy committee will refine wording and ordering of bullet points before that vote.