Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

To the editor,

First, I commend the library in obtaining several books I recently requested. The books were not available in the library collection at the time of my requests. I believe one was added to the collection and others were available with the inter-library lending program. All were received in reasonable time of a few days to a couple weeks.

Next, I highly recommend these books to any and all persons who wish to better understand what has contributed to the events we have experienced the past couple of years which revealed itself as a controversy centered on our Library. If you don’t know the name Herbert Marchuse, the Frankfurt school, or recognize the methods and intent of those who advance various iterations of critical theory, you really should acquaint yourself with some of these titles. You owe it to yourself and our community to read “American Cultural Revolution” by Chris Rufo, “The Diversity Delusion” by Heather MacDonald, “Irreversible Damage” by Abigail Shrier, “Stolen Youth” by Bethany Mandel and Karol Markowicz, and/or “Hide You Children” by Liz Wheeler. These, and similar writings can help the reader understand the history, motives, methods used, and consequences (intended and unintended) of DEI, antiracism, and transgender ideologies.

In the Oct. 26, 2023 Dayton Chronicle, it was reported that Sara Jones, Washington State Librarian, attended the October Library Board meeting and said (quoting from the article), “if materials were considered pornographic, they would be illegal and would never be published. She mentioned the Miller Test of Obscenity allowed by the ruling of the Supreme Court.” From my research, I could find no source stating that pornography is illegal. Perhaps she meant, “obscene” materials; but even that term and the Miller Test require further explanation and are not easily determined or applied.

Also, a suggestion was reported that “…it is best to allow professionals to do their jobs and not to do it for them.” But such an approach presents challenges and risks, for instance: what to do when “professionals” disagree and would following this suggestion require Board members to be trained library professionals in order to do that job? History, especially recent history, has demonstrated on multiple levels that professionals (aka experts, authorities) frequently have a depth of knowledge/information while lacking common sense, wisdom, and may be influenced by political or other agendas. As a further evidence for caution on this issue of “leaving it to the professionals,” it is the professional members of the American Library Association (ALA) who elected their current president!

Sara Jones also shared a document “…on the importance of respecting the librarian’s profession. ‘It’s really important, I think, that we honor the reason people become librarians and the education and resources they get to become professional librarians—it’s a two-year program’….”

Sadly, it is the highest levels of the profession who have done so much to risk and undermine the public’s respect and honor for library professionals. The ALA president supports programs to liberate children from the oppression of rigid male and female roles; she works to disrupt oppressive family roles; she is impelled (by her proclaimed ideologies) to identify America as an oppressor and to view our society as divided according to group identities, e.g., race and gender identity.

Lastly, I commend the reconsideration of the Library’s Volunteer Policy including background checks. I conclude this is motivated out of concern for protecting children; and I hope this same motivation will guide the library’s purchase, collection, and display procedures.

Tom Utt,

Dayton, Wash.