Library will have programming policy but contents still under discussion
The Wichita Public Library will develop a new policy that guides decisions about what programs will be offered at its branches. But exactly what it will say remains under discussion.
Library Board of Directors president Kevin McWhorter told a crowd attending Tuesday’s board meeting that “it is logical for us to get a new programming policy” since the new downtown branch increases the library’s opportunity to offer programs to the public. But he said that it would be a month or more before a first draft is ready.
Library staff in October were asked to pen a programming policy after some members of the public objected to the library hosting “Say YAAAS to Reading,” a literacy event where local drag queens read picture books. The event, which library officials have said was geared toward adults and meant to diversify program offerings, drew more than 200 people including families with children.
Board members are currently reviewing a three-page list of possible policy components drawn from programming policies already in place at more than a dozen other libraries in the U.S. and Canada. Most anchor their programming decisions in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, which promotes inclusion.
The possible policy components on the three-page list Wichita board members are looking at include that programs should:
- Be tied to the library’s mission of providing information and enlightenment
- Not be excluded because of possible controversy
- Contribute to the library’s safe, supporting and welcoming environment
- Be selected based on community relevance, needs and interests
This story was originally published December 18, 2018 at 5:36 PM.
