HEPL [FN1] Fishers’ board of trustees (“Bd”) canceled “executive sessions” 4 8/21 & 8/23 but an 8/24 gen’l meeting is 3 pm. HEPL-Fishers was set up on 9/8/22. A backdoor appointment put Micah Beckwith [FN2] on the Bd w/a 4-3 majority he loses on 9/1. He said he’s after porn. 1/9

With no proof books harmed anyone since a Fishers library was opened in 1993, the Bd required books to be removed from a teen section, reviewed by library staff and, if a book violates standards the Bd adopted, placed in the adult section. This policy is absurd. 2/9

1) It takes a lot of time to review a lot of books. In a 5/25/23 meeting, Bd member Ray Maddalone complained review wasn’t fast enough: “If our mgr is not up to do that, then we’ll find someone else.” I was on staff at libraries. (Purdue 4 yrs, Northwestern Sch of Law 2 yrs) 3/9.

Yesterday I visited HEPL in Fishers. The facility is beautiful. Staff members were doing their JOBS as librarians: answering patrons’ questions, helping find whatever book or info a person sought, etc. The library was busy as were the staff. 4/9

2) The “reviews” will be expensive. Maddalone suggested paying staff members $5 for each book read. Maybe $5 seems reasonable to someone who reads only trash, but to “review” books w/the goal of protecting kids from porn doesn’t take the task seriously. 5/9

3) There are elements Indiana & this country have seen before. “Moms for Liberty” and “America First” were used 100 years ago when the KKK was big. This strain of populism is against libraries and ready access to information. In an exchange on “Unify Westfield” 2 days ago, 6/9:

A person wrote she was “almost to the point that there should be no libraries/media centers in school” & it would “be a tax savings to parents.” Shelly Stewart , “I do not think libraries are safe any longer. This goes for public libraries too - look at the mess with HEPL...” 7/9

Beckwith doesn’t want ppl to get info from other sources SUCH AS THE LIBRARY. On The Constitution he says “stay away from higher education and [its] secular progressive bias.” To some ignorance is bliss. To Beckwith it’s the source of votes. (That leads to powere) 8/9

Footnotes: Hamilton East Public Library has 2 locations: Fishers, 5 Municipal Dr and Noblesville, 1 Library Plaza; FN2. Ham County preacher/perennial GOP candidate currently seeking the GOP nomination for Lt Gov. 9/9