Some Georgia Republican Senators believe the American Library Association (ALA) spreads Marxist ideology. Therefore, they want to ban the Association from the state and require all public libraries to disassociate from the ALA.
I don’t believe these senators. I don’t think they are telling the truth about their remarks about libraries in Georgia.
GA Senate Bill 390 is disingenuous. They are claiming the ALA is a Marxist organization without any evidence. The only evidence they have is a tweet by the new president of the ALA announcing that she is thrilled about leading the ALA as a woman, a lesbian, and a Marxist. This played right into their culture war to weaken public education K – college. Recall that these same Republicans passed a book ban and a bill to restrict speech in the classroom. Hundreds of books have been banned from school libraries and classrooms.
Hanna Hurley, a retired Georgia educator, child advocate, disability consultant, and colleague, said in an email that this action by the Republican legislators is part of a pervasive movement to dismantle K-12 education and higher education. She also pointed out that they were using the new president’s identity and accomplishments to deprive the entire state of Georgia of library science. As you will see later in the post, these legislators need to be made aware of the role and key importance of librarians in educating Georgia’s children.
The ALA President
Like most professional organizations, the ALA selects a new president each year, usually through an election. The president of the ALA for 2023-2024 is Emily Dabrinski. She takes over the post just as schools and libraries deal with 21st-century book banning.
Emily Dabrinski is the Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies Associate Professor. She publishes and widely presents topics related to knowledge organization, information literacy, and critical perspectives in librarianship. Drabinski edits Gender and Sexuality in Information Studies, a Library Juice Press/Litwin Books book series. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government from Columbia University, MLS, Library and Information Science from Syracuse University, and a Master’s Degree in Rhetoric and Composition from Long Island University. She is a contributing writer at Truthout. On January 31st she will give the 2024 Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture.
She opposes legislatures’ efforts to ban books and restrict how race can be discussed in the classroom. Even privately owned bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble, oppose the banning of books and have communicated to patrons the books banned and why they believe this is contrary to free speech.
Senate Bill 390
According to Ty Tagami (an education journalist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution), the GOP senators behind Senate Bill 390 are targeting the American Library Association as part of their culture war over books and speech in public education. The GOP senators who signed onto the bill are all men. They include the following from the GOP: Larry Walker is an insurance agent in Perry. John F. Kennedy is an attorney in Macon. Steve Gooch is from Dahlonega. Jason Anavitarte is from Dallas. Matt Brass, a business developer, is from Newnan.
The Bill charges that the ALA promotes Marxist ideology. The ALA is no more Marxist than I am. Some wondered what effect my work in the Soviet Union & Russia for 20 years had on my political philosophy; Republicans are infatuated with the terms Marxist, communism, and socialism. Just go to the Heritage Foundation website and read about Marxism.
According to the GOP when someone in an organization claims to be a Marxist, then the organization must be steeped in Marxist ideology. That’s what the Republican senators who wrote S.B. 390 believe. Marxism gives them another route to continue their march to impose restrictions on people who live in an open society. The truth is that Emily Dabrinski will be president of the ALA for this year alone. Her personal beliefs will not change the mission and goals of the ALA. She is one of more than 170 library science professionals to hold the position of president since 1853.
Attack on Librarians
The bill attacks the professional work done by librarians across the state, including Georgia’s public schools and public libraries. This bill demeans thousands of professional librarians.
There are 2,306 schools in Georgia, each with a library staffed by at least one librarian. More than 4.9 million Georgians have library cards, 60 library systems, and more than 42 million visits to libraries in the state. S.B. 390 states that librarians should no longer be certified.
Years of research make it clear that librarians matter and that they should be certified. Regardless of school socio-economic factors, the benefits of well-resourced libraries help students learn and gain confidence in learning. To many students, the library is a haven welcoming them to the world of books and other resources. Research reports have also shown that having a school library staffed by certified librarians affects the overall achievement of students. This finding should be acceptable to the GOPers, who support using standardized test scores to measure student learning. (disclaimer: on this blog, I’ve written for years about why standardized tests should not be used to measure student or school success.)
Analysis of Senate Bill 390
Table 1 compares the S.B. 390, which will amend the Official Code of Georgia related to libraries. The statements in the first column are included in the bill and numbered. The second column includes my comments about the specific statements in the bill.
Remember that the bill’s purpose is
- to prohibit the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and city, county, and regional libraries from using public or privately donated funds on any materials, services, or operations offered by the American Library Association.
- to dissolve the state board for the certification of librarians and remove certification requirements.
- to prohibit the acceptance of any bid or proposal made by the American Library Association
Also, I’d like to point out that the statements in the first column are what the General Assembly found about libraries, the ALA, and their judgments. My comments refute each of the General Assembly’s “findings.”
Analysis
| The General Assembly Finds: | My Comments |
| (1) The present state requirement that only certified librarians may work as librarians at 21 public libraries has not benefitted the residents of this state; | I don’t see any evidence provided here. When was the research done, and by whom should this conclusion be asserted? I’ve delved into the research on this question and the results favor hiring certified librarians. |
| (2) The bureaucracy that has developed around the certification of librarians has become heavily intertwined with and influenced by the American Library Association; | The Georgia State Board of Education controls certification of Librarians for the Certification of Librarians. The ALA has no legal or official influence on certification. Show us where you have support for this assertion. |
| (3) The President of the American Library Association has declared herself to be a Marxist | So, she will be president for one year, 2023 – 2024. She is also an Associate Professor of the Queens College, Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. She mentioned in a tweet that she was a Marxist and lesbian. What is it that you oppose? Her identity or perhaps her professional accomplishments. |
| (4) The American Library Association has used the librarian certification process to promote its ideology | Its ideology is tied up in its mission as follows: The ALA Constitution states the purpose of ALA as “The object of the American Library Association shall be to promote library service and librarianship.” The mission is “To provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.” I searched the ALA website, and there is no mention of Marx, Marxism, or Marxist. Check it yourself. |
| (5) The vast majority of residents of this state do not want their tax dollars to directly or indirectly support such an ideology | There is no evidence for this statement. Do the legislative committee or those who wrote this bill have survey data to support this? There is no evidence that the ALA is Marxist, so this statement is frivolous. There are more than 4 million Georgians who have library cards. Why not ask them what they think about your premise? |
| (6) The Georgia Library Association is an affiliate of the American Library Association; | Again, so what? It seems like a very professional thing to do. Most state organizations belong to their national or international affiliates. I’m a lifelong member of the National Science Teachers Association. In Georgia, many teachers also belong to its affiliate organization, The Georgia Science Teachers Association. |
| (7) The Georgia Library Association should no longer be an affiliate of the American 32 Library Association | The basis for this bill is disingenuous and based on an ideology that many Georgians would disagree with…most Georgians want open and free access to books and other information resources for their own and their families’ learning. Senate Bill 390 stands in the way of free access. |
| (8) Other states have begun reducing the influence of the American Library Association | So. And if you examine these bills, they are based on the same lame excuses we see in this Senate bill. |
| (9) Some states do not require the certification of librarians working at public libraries; | This is an unfortunate idea. Certification is an important component of work. Do you want engineers who are not certified to do that work building airplanes at Lockheed? Do you not want certified teachers teaching your children? How about those of you in the building or construction business? Do you want certified workers? |
| (10) This state should no longer require the certification of librarians working at public libraries or allow public moneys to be used to support the American Library Association | This is another idea that needs to be revised. Professional educators should be certified. The state and higher education faculties have established outstanding professional training programs. Why do you want to eliminate them? We could write and pass a bill that calls for the certification of state legislators. What do you think? |
Plan of Action
Write to the GOP members who have signed this bill and indicate your opposition to S.B. 390. I’ve linked five of the GOPers to their legislative webpage. If you live in any of the districts of these members, explain why you oppose the bill. Think about how you use libraries, and if you have children, consider the benefits to them.
Please write to your representative and tell them why you disagree with the bill. Use some of the data provided here to show why you oppose the bill.
Go to your school library or public library and tell them you know about this bill, and wondered what they thought about the bill. Explain to them that you’ve looked into the bill and want them to know that you support the work they do.
If you are a librarian, speak parents and adults who visit your library and make them aware of how the bill insults the work of thousands of librarians in the state.
Here is a link to LegiScan to follow the progress of Senate Bill 390.
https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB390/2023
Also, I named five GOP representatives who sponsored the bill in the post. There are now 22 GOP reps that sponsor the bill. You can see their names at the link above. They all appear to be men.