Banned Books Week Message

The following letter was published in the Herald Journal on Tuesday, 20 September 2022:

To the editor:

I have been a proud member of the library profession for 27 years, working at academic and public libraries, providing reference, running public programs, and buying materials. It has always made me happy that when I tell people I am a librarian, they often smile and respond by telling me about fond memories of their childhood library or how much they love reading books. However, more recently, people have been responding by asking if I have heard about the spread of legislation and activism geared toward attacking librarians and their collection development decisions.



Sadly, our country is growing ever more polarized, and libraries are increasingly facing challenges to the materials in their collections, with the American Library Association (ALA) documenting 729 challenges last year alone. This is so perplexing to me as an information professional who understands the time and consideration that librarians put into developing their collections for the wide variety of readers and researchers they support, generally relying on well-defined collection development policies.



There is a popular quotation among librarians: “A truly great library has something to offend everyone.” I would also like to evoke James LaRue, the former director of the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom: “A really good library has something to support everyone” — whether that is the Christian homeschooler who needs access to curricular materials or the crafter looking for new ideas or the transgender teen who should be able to see themselves represented in the collection.

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of Banned Books Week (Sept. 18-24), which celebrates the freedom to read. Each September, librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, and teachers mark this week by emphasizing the importance of the free flow of information that allows our society to thrive. In fact, books help our citizens engage deeply with complex topics. Banned Books Week challenges the belief that the censorship of ideas protects people from the complexities they encounter in the world around them. The whole notion of promoting the freedom of speech and ideas so that we can all individually make our own judgments is a pillar of this country’s founding. To echo another commonly expressed saying among librarians, those who ban books have generally not landed on the right side of history. During Banned Books Week, please support your librarians and your libraries and know that we are supporting you too.



Jennifer Duncan 


President, Cache Valley Library Association

 

Library Association denounces layoff of North Logan Library workers

Herald Journal (6/5/18)

Library Association denounces layoff of North Logan Library workers

Cache Valley Daily (6/8/18)

North Logan Library cuts staff, denounced by Cache Valley Library Association

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

5 June 2018

Contact: Dory Cochran, CVLA President

Library Association Denounces Treatment of North Logan Librarians

The Cache Valley Library Association strongly condemns the May 25 firing without notice of North Logan City Library Assistant Director Paul Daybell and Clerk Stephanie Western by North Logan City and their library board “to reorganize and reduce the staff” just days before a new library director began his job. The meeting minutes which might shed light on this decision have not been posted online. This was a shameful act towards two experienced, educated, and well-respected professionals.

Paul and Stephanie have master’s degrees in library science and have demonstrated a further commitment to their vocation by participating in library organizations and conferences locally and further afield. Paul served capably as the president of our association in 2017. But most importantly, Paul (since 2014) and Stephanie (2007-08 and since 2013) have given years of faithful service to the citizens of North Logan by improving their library’s collections and programs.

Our colleagues should not have been treated this way and their loss will be deeply felt by all who care about the North Logan City Library.

Local Libraries in the Newspaper

Local libraries are all over the May 13th Bridgerland section of The Herald Journal!

🌟 "Grant aims to develop maker culture in local libraries"
http://bit.ly/24WDLPu
Congratulations, Utah State University & North Logan City Library!

🌟 "Cache Valley enamored with little libraries"
http://bit.ly/1X7GDTC
Good work, Cache Valley Little Free Libraries!

National Library Week 2016

President JaDene Denniston wrote a great column for National Library Week which was published in The Herald Journal.

"Libraries are many things to different people but to me they are places of wonder. They are places where adventures begin and keep on going, where questions and answers merge together, yet they are so much more. They can take us to places we will never visit like “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,” or the planet Jupiter.

"This year’s theme, “Libraries Transform,” makes me think of how libraries can and have changed people’s lives. Suppose you need the manual for your old 1967 Mustang. Libraries have it. Perhaps you need help learning how to use your smart phone. Libraries have that as well. Whether school, university, private or public, libraries transform lives and communities.

"Libraries of Cache Valley play a vital role in the lives of many people from helping a sixth grader find information on ancient civilizations, to a family planning a trip to Europe. Today’s libraries continue to provide books, resources, and information to their patrons. But today they are so much more. Libraries are living organisms continually adapting to better serve their communities. They transform lives through literacy programs. They offer employment support. Technology training is available. And don’t forget entertainment. Libraries provide vast activities for individuals, families and groups..."

You can read the full article here.

Our Public Libraries in the Newspaper

Cache Valley's public libraries were featured on the front page of the Herald Journal on Saturday, April 2, 2016! Thanks to the Herald Journal and reporter Lis Stewart for highlighting the many great things local library staff members are doing! You can access the article here: http://bit.ly/1W635fq.

Library Hero Award

On Thursday, January 15, 2015, we presented our first-ever “Library Hero” award to the late Dr. Stephen Zsiray [pictured], a longtime valley school administrator and library advocate. The award was received on his behalf by his wife Paula during CVLA’s bi-monthly business meeting held at USU's Merrill-Cazier Library. The Herald Journal covered the event here. Congratulations to the Zsirays!