Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries board removes 'equitable' from plan, adds parents-rights language

Jennifer Gueltrup, executive director of the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries, told the La Center City Council on March 11 that the library district’s board formally adopted a five-year strategic plan but made last-minute edits that removed the adjective “equitable” from mission and priority language and added a sentence saying policy should be applied “in a manner that honors the primary role of parents and guardians.”

Gueltrup said the board first approved the strategic-plan language in January and ratified corrected text again in February and that those floor amendments, which were handed out during the January meeting, produced confusion among trustees and the public. “The word equitable…was among debate from November forward,” she said, and the final phrasing now reads, “we open doors and provide access.”

Why it matters: library staff warned that replacing explicit equity language and adding a parents’-role clause could prompt policy reviews that change how the system selects, labels or makes certain titles available. Gueltrup described the library’s current collection process as guided by a collection-development policy (staff implement purchases, not the board on a title-by-title basis) and said narrowing that policy could lead to legal challenges. “I do not know long term what that impact might be,” she said, adding that staff currently “champion equitable access across the district.”

The presentation also highlighted the district’s scale and services. Gueltrup reported that in 2025 the district recorded about 1.48 million physical visits (including bookmobile stops), roughly 9.37 million digital visits, and 6.6 million items checked out across its branches and mobile services; she described a floating-collection model that moves physical items between locations to meet holds and demand.

Board process and community input: Gueltrup outlined a five-phase planning process undertaken with local consultants (Point North and National Library Consultants Group for Architecture) and a Next Chapter advisory committee. Outreach included over 1,800 survey responses in English, Spanish and Russian, 245 in-person community conversation attendees, and more than 1.2 million print/digital reaches, she said. Trustees reviewed proposed and revised language before voting; one trustee introduced additional edits from the floor that night, which were adopted.

Council reaction and next steps: Councilors praised the library’s services and urged continued dialogue. Councilor Young thanked the presenters and urged more communication between the library and appointing officials, saying the council should be alerted if staff concerns over policy changes materialize. Megan Dugan, board chair, told the council she did not ask for any current action but asked council members to stay informed and remain available if the library faces changes that require attention.

There was no request for a formal action by La Center at the March 11 work session; the presentation was informational and council members said they would monitor developments and maintain communication with library staff.