Douglas Library Board to consider Program and Display Policy after Connecticut reading-protection bill

The Douglas Library Board was told June 11 that Library Director Norma DeMay has drafted a Library Program and Display Policy and will post it on the library website, asking the board to vote on the policy at the next meeting when more members are present. DeMay said the move follows a recent Connecticut Legislature bill she said covers "freedom to read" and protects libraries from being required to remove items from shelves or to engage in book banning.

DeMay told the board that the library's collection policy and a Request for Reconsideration form are already posted on the website “as mandated by the state library,” and that the new Program and Display Policy is intended to clarify how events and displays are selected and managed. She asked for a formal vote on the policy at a meeting with fuller attendance.

Board members did not take a formal vote on the policy at the June 11 meeting; DeMay’s statement was presented as background and a next-step request. The board will consider the policy and vote at a later meeting. The meeting record also notes other compliance materials are available online, including the collection policy and reconsideration form.