ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) — Residents in northwest Iowa are fighting over a petition that calls on the public library to separate material dealing with LGBTQ issues and to request public input before acquiring such material.
Some expressed support for the Orange City Public Library’s integration of LGBTQ materials at a library board meeting Tuesday, the Sioux City Journal reported . Others shared reservations.
The petition was started by Terry Chi, an assistant psychology professor at Northwestern College, a liberal arts school in Orange City. The petition, which gathered more than 340 signatures in nine days, calls for labeling and separating materials involving LGBTQ materials within the library and providing a content rating service to help inform patrons’ decisions.
The petition also asks the library to hold public discussions before new materials are acquired. “We’re not asking for banning because I know that would just sink our ship,” Chi said. “We’re asking for transparency in the process and some public conversation before new materials are acquired.”
Iowa Library Association President-Elect Dan Chibnall said libraries tend to avoid special labels. He said he believes people should have access to as much material as possible. Officials at the Orange City Public Library have been working with the Iowa Library Association on a solution. The library’s board says its policy committee will review public input and analyze its collection development policy.