Letter to the Editor: Library’s policy still needs work to be equitable

To the Editor:

Thanks to Meredith Savitt for her excellent coverage of the June 10th Bethlehem Library’s Board of Trustees meeting.

As the article indicates, the new meeting room policy, via a late change from earlier drafts, permits the Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, a state-registered not for profit organization, to hold public events at the Library. But the significance of the policy goes far beyond this group’s use of a meeting room.

The new policy is complex, replacing one allowing all community groups to hold events at the Library. Suffice it to say that the only way a Bethlehem community group can now present a public program in the Library’s meeting room, with up to 65 attendees, is to (1) be an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) charity or state-registered charity or not for profit located in Albany County, or (2) be sponsored by one of those organizations.

This policy is objectionable for several reasons:

– Most importantly, the elected Trustees are transferring their authority over use of our taxpayer-supported Library to unelected and unaccountable private organizations. They, not the Trustees, will decide which Bethlehem community groups can use the Library’s meeting room for public events.

– The policy has no criteria which 501(c)(3) and similar non-profits must follow in deciding whether or not to sponsor a community group. While the policy claims that the Library makes meeting rooms available on an equitable basis, regardless of beliefs or affiliations, 501(c)(3) and other non-profits do not need to follow that standard. They can refuse sponsorship because, for instance, a group has an LGBTQ identity. Or, sponsorship can be given to one group with a particular view on an issue of community concern and refused to a group wishing to present an opposing view. No reason must be provided when a sponsorship request is denied or ignored.

The door is left wide open to discrimination and censorship.

– The policy has no process allowing a community group to appeal to the Board if it fails to obtain sponsorship, even if the proposed event has a non-controversial purpose.

This is not an acceptable way for a government board to manage its operations. The result of these policy defects is that the Board is placing community group use of our Library at jeopardy. Equitable and non-discriminatory use of meeting rooms can no longer be guaranteed. Yes, the policy has improvements over the past version, including measures to improve security and prevent over-crowding. But how difficult would it have been to develop an improved policy allowing all Bethlehem community groups to use the Library without requiring sponsorship by private organizations?

The Board is requesting voter approval of a $36 million bond to improve and expand the Library, including constructing a 250-seat meeting room, an ideal setting for community group-sponsored events and Library programs. What mixed signals are they sending by enacting a policy restricting community use of the Library while at the same time seeking funding for an expanded community meeting room?

Robert McDonnell
Delmar

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