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Payson council approves library service agreement after hours of debate over ALA Library Bill of Rights
Summary
After public comment and extended council debate about age-appropriateness and parental oversight, the Payson Common Council voted 4–3 to approve a library service agreement that includes the American Library Association27s Library Bill of Rights language in the county contract.
The Common Council of the Town of Payson voted 4–3 on May 28 to approve a library service agreement that incorporates language referencing the American Library Association27s Library Bill of Rights in the county-level service agreement.
The approval followed more than an hour of public comment and discussion in which residents and council members debated whether the ALA language limits parental authority to determine age-appropriate materials. Emily, the Payson Public Library director, told the council the library follows the ALA Bill of Rights as an ethical statement for professional librarians and that staff do not act as parental substitutes: "we firmly believe that parents are the natural sensors of their children," she said, adding that parents…
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