The Georgia Senate on Thursday moved to banish the American Library Association from influence over local institutions, passing legislation that would prohibit financial and other relationships between the organization and the state’s public and school libraries.
Senate Bill 390 is championed by Republicans who say the organization leans too far to the left, noting that the current president, Emily Drabinski, is a self-described Marxist. Many conservatives also criticize the organization’s endorsement of books about gender identity and racial bias.
“This bill is designed to prohibit taxpayer dollars funding political extremism,” said chief sponsor Sen. Larry Walker III, R-Perry.
Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, a Democratic leader of the Senate, called SB 390 a “knee-jerk” embrace of cultural warfare and a distraction from problems like literacy: “How does this even matter when two-thirds of Georgia’s kids can’t read well anyway? Why are we not talking about that today, colleagues?”
The ALA has far-reaching influence. In addition to book choices, the organization has a role in the education of future librarians and in their training once on the job. Nearly all public libraries in North America require a degree from an ALA-accredited program, according to testimony earlier in the legislative session.
SB 390 initially threatened Valdosta State University’s graduate program for librarians with a prohibition on ALA accreditation, but Walker amended the bill to address those concerns. The version that will go to the state House of Representatives after a party line 33-20 vote would still prohibit the University System of Georgia from using taxpayer money to pursue accreditation. But it would allow the use of donations.
The measure now mainly seeks to sever the ALA’s influence over local and school libraries. No government entity would be allowed to spend taxpayer money on the ALA. Librarians who want to continue membership with the organization or participate in its professional training would have to pay for it themselves.
SB 390 would substitute ALA-based librarian certification with Georgia-specific certification. The bill proposes a Council of Public Libraries, with members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. It would assume the certification duties of the secretary of state’s office, which relies on the ALA.
