In his commentary this week, editor-in-chief Andrew DeMillo of the Arkansas Advocate writes that the uncertainty surrounding state libraries couldn’t come at a worse time for a state trying to address literacy.
Two recent headlines in Arkansas related to reading seem completely at odds with each other. The state Library Board earlier this month tabled a vote on more than $1 million worth of quarterly funding for libraries, a delay that jeopardizes a number of programs.
The board’s action — or lack of action, that is — came the same week that the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that thousands of third graders are at risk of being held back because of new reading standards.
Tabling funding for libraries doesn’t make sense for a state trying to tackle lagging literacy scores. It’s also the latest obstacle thrown in the way of libraries when they would be the most needed in this mission.
Lawmakers are right to be concerned about literacy in Arkansas at all age levels. In recent years, only about one-third of third graders are reading at grade level. The numbers are also alarming for adults, where the literacy rate is one of the worst in the nation.
Parts of the LEARNS Act, the 2023 education overhaul championed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, were aimed at addressing students’ literacy needs. Along with the new requirements for third graders, the law also deploys “literacy coaches” to improve reading at high-need schools.
But the approach of treating the state’s libraries like adversaries and rhetoric in recent years portraying librarians as indoctrinating children is undermining a key partner in addressing this challenge.
The Library Board’s most recent action boils down more to a very specific regional issue. As the Advocate’s Tess Vrbin reported, board members said they need more clarity on the rules for required financial audits. It’s a question that arose after Cleburne and Sharp counties’ governing board voted to withdraw from the White River Regional Library system late last year.
It’s hard to ignore that the action follows a series of moves taken by the Republican-led Legislature aimed at heavily restricting what materials libraries can offer. Those measures have focused primarily on books that include any themes or discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Arkansas’ efforts have been part of a national trend of Republican lawmakers pushing for greater control over state libraries.
A law Sanders signed last year dissolved the state board, allowing her to appoint new members. The move also comes in the middle of an ongoing legal fight over another state law restricting access to controversial materials.
A federal judge struck down part of that law, which would have imposed criminal penalties on librarians, as unconstitutional. The state appealed the ruling.
Ongoing obstacles and threats to libraries’ funding are going to have the biggest impact on smaller library systems, and risk creating more reading deserts at a time when greater access to materials is needed.
The services in limbo include summer reading programs and libraries’ ability to transport materials between locations — especially important for rural library systems. Days after the $1.37 million was tabled, the Faulkner County Library told patrons it would have to pause any purchases of new titles for the e-book app it uses.
Decades of research show the impact that access to books can have on a child’s learning development, not to mention their mental health.
Creating uncertainty about a key source of funding for state libraries as they prepare for the summer could jeopardize the types of programs that people need the most to improve their literacy skills.
It’s just as important for adults, especially in an age of digital distraction and an alarming decline in reading for pleasure.
Fiscal accountability is a laudable goal for any state agency, but hampering all libraries to address a narrow issue couldn’t come at a worse time.
ANDREW DEMILLO