Appendices A to K – The Lyme Public Library

Appendix A

The Freedom to Read Statement

The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label “controversial” views, to distribute lists of “objectionable” books or authors, and to purge libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read.

Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be “protected” against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression.

These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials.

Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference.

Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections.

We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures toward conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings.

The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.

We therefore affirm these propositions:

It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority.

Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of any concept that challenges the established orthodoxy. The power of a democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it.

Publishers, librarians, and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral, or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what should be published or circulated.

Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper.

It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author.

No art or literature can flourish if it is to be measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish that draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say.

There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.

To some, much of modern expression is shocking. But is not much of life itself shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves. These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that will suit the demands of one group without limiting the freedom of others.

It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.

The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for others. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them.

It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people’s freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.

It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental prerogative or self-censorship.

It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, they can demonstrate that the answer to a “bad” book is a good one, the answer to a “bad” idea is a good one.

The freedom to read is of little consequence when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader’s purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their support.

We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours.

This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers.

Adopted June 25, 1953, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004.

A Joint Statement by:

Appendix B

Freedom to View Statement

The FREEDOM TO VIEW, along with the freedom to speak, to hear, and to read, is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. In a free society, there is no place for censorship of any medium of expression.

The FREEDOM TO VIEW, along with the freedom to speak, to hear, and to read, is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. In a free society, there is no place for censorship of any medium of expression. Therefore these principles are affirmed:

To provide the broadest access to film, video, and other audiovisual materials because they are a means for the communication of ideas. Liberty of circulation is essential to insure the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression.
To protect the confidentiality of all individuals and institutions using film, video, and other audiovisual materials.
To provide film, video, and other audiovisual materials which represent a diversity of views and expression. Selection of a work does not constitute or imply agreement with or approval of the content.
To provide a diversity of viewpoints without the constraint of labeling or prejudging film, video, or other audiovisual materials on the basis of the moral, religious, or political beliefs of the producer or filmmaker or on the basis of controversial content.
To contest vigorously, by all lawful means, every encroachment upon the public’s freedom to view.

This statement was originally drafted by the Freedom to View Committee of the American Film and Video Association (formerly the Educational Film Library Association) and was adopted by the AFVA Board of Directors in February 1979. This statement was updated and approved by the AFVA Board of Directors in 1989.

Endorsed January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council

Appendix C

Library Bill of Rights

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.

Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019.

Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996.

Appendix D

Program Evaluation

Name of Program:(Required)

How would you rate this program on a scale of 1 (terrible) to 10 (outstanding)?(Required)

Please enter a number from 1 to 10.

What did you like/dislike about the program?(Required)

What type of programs would like the library to offer in the future?

Author readings/book signings, hands-on workshops, craft/cooking demos, lectures on environmental/political/historical topics, etc.

Would you like to be added to the Lyme Library’s Upcoming Events Email List? Please give us your first and last name and email address

Name:

First Last

Email:

If you would be interested in becoming a member of the Lyme Library Board or the Lyme Library Friends Association, please check the appropriate box and give us your contact information and a member of one of those organizations will be in touch.

Join

Library Board

Friends Association

Name:

First Last

Email:

Thank you for your participation!

Appendix E

Lyme Public Library Program Application Form

Please submit this form with your idea/recommendation for an upcoming Lyme Public Library program. Submission of the form must be made to the Library Director, Melissa Fournier for review before approval. The Director will review the idea/recommendation and will contact you if the program meets with approval.

Program Application

Appendix F

Connecticut General Statutes Section 46a-64

Sec. 46a-64. (Formerly Sec. 53-35). Discriminatory public accommodations practices are prohibited. Penalty. (a) It shall be a discriminatory practice in violation of this section: (1) To deny any person within the jurisdiction of this state full and equal accommodations in any place of public accommodation, resort or amusement because of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, lawful source of income, intellectual disability, mental disability, physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness or deafness, or status as a veteran, of the applicant, subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons; (2) to discriminate, segregate or separate on account of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, lawful source of income, intellectual disability, mental disability, learning disability, physical disability, including, but not limited to, blindness or deafness, or status as a veteran; (3) for a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement to restrict or limit the right of a mother to breast-feed her child; (4) for a place of public accommodation, resort or amusement to fail or refuse to post a notice, in a conspicuous place, that any blind, deaf or mobility impaired person, accompanied by his guide dog wearing a harness or an orange-colored leash and collar, may enter such premises or facilities; or (5) to deny any blind, deaf or mobility impaired person or any person training a dog as a guide dog for a blind person or a dog to assist a deaf or mobility impaired person, accompanied by his guide dog or assistance dog, full and equal access to any place of public accommodation, resort or amusement. Any blind, deaf or mobility impaired person or any person training a dog as a guide dog for a blind person or a dog to assist a deaf or mobility impaired person may keep his guide dog or assistance dog with him at all times in such place of public accommodation, resort or amusement at no extra charge, provided the dog wears a harness or an orange-colored leash and collar and is in the direct custody of such person. The blind, deaf or mobility impaired person or person training a dog as a guide dog for a blind person or a dog to assist a deaf or mobility impaired person shall be liable for any damage done to the premises or facilities by his dog. For purposes of this subdivision, “guide dog” or “assistance dog” includes a dog being trained as a guide dog or assistance dog and “person training a dog as a guide dog for a blind person or a dog to assist a deaf or mobility impaired person” means a person who is employed by and authorized to engage in designated training activities by a guide dog organization or assistance dog organization that complies with the criteria for membership in a professional association of guide dog or assistance dog schools and who carries photographic identification indicating such employment and authorization.

(b) (1) The provisions of this section with respect to the prohibition of sex discrimination shall not apply to (A) the rental of sleeping accommodations provided by associations and organizations which rent all such sleeping accommodations on a temporary or permanent basis for the exclusive use of persons of the same sex or (B) separate bathrooms or locker rooms based on sex. (2) The provisions of this section with respect to the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of age shall not apply to minors or to special discount or other public or private programs to assist persons sixty years of age and older. (3) The provisions of this section with respect to the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of physical disability shall not require any person to modify his property in any way or provide a higher degree of care for a physically disabled person, including, but not limited to blind or deaf persons, than for a person not physically disabled. (4) The provisions of this section with respect to the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of creed shall not apply to the practice of granting preference in admission of residents into a nursing home as defined in section 19a-490, if (A) the nursing home is owned, operated by or affiliated with a religious organization, exempt from taxation for federal income tax purposes and (B) the class of persons granted preference in admission is consistent with the religious mission of the nursing home. (5) The provisions of this section with respect to the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of lawful source of income shall not prohibit the denial of full and equal accommodations solely on the basis of insufficient income.

Appendix G

CHAPTER 188a

COOPERATING LIBRARY SERVICE UNIT PROGRAM

Table of Contents

Sec. 11-9e. “Cooperating library service unit” defined. Budget recommendations.

Sec. 11-9f. Appointment and duties of Cooperating Library Service Unit Review Board.

Sec. 11-9e. “Cooperating library service unit” defined. Budget recommendations. (a) For purposes of this section and section 11-1, a “cooperating library service unit” means an organization of different types of libraries situated in a stipulated area of the state whose purpose is to improve library service through coordinated planning, resource sharing, and the development of programs too costly or impractical for a single library to maintain.

(b) The State Library Board shall include in its budget recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly such amounts as are required in the estimation of the board of the operation of the cooperating library service units to provide services pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

(P.A. 82-360, S. 1, 4; P.A. 88-216, S. 4, 7.)

History: P.A. 88-216 in Subsec. (a) removed reference to Sec. 11-9f repealed by the same act and added reference to Sec. 11-1.

Appendix H

CT SB01271 | 2025 | General Assembly

Connecticut Senate Bill 1271

Status

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 19)
Status: Introduced on February 6 2025 – 25% progression, died in chamber
Action: 2025-03-25 – File Number 204
Text: Latest bill text (Comm Sub) [PDF]

Summary

To require public and school libraries to develop a (1) collection development and maintenance policy, (2) library program and display policy, and (3) library material review and reconsideration policy.

Appendix I

House Bill No. 7287

Public Act No. 25-168

AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATE BUDGET FOR THE BIENNIUM ENDING JUNE 30, 2027, AND MAKING APPROPRIATIONS THEREFOR, AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO REVENUE AND OTHER ITEMS IMPLEMENTING THE STATE BUDGET.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2025) The following sums are appropriated from the GENERAL FUND

Sec. 322. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section:

(1) “Library and other educational material” means any material belonging to, on loan to or otherwise in the custody of a public library, including, but not limited to, nonfiction and fiction books, magazines, reference books, supplementary titles, multimedia and digital material and software.

(2) “Public library staff member” means a staff member of a public library, a public librarian, any staff member whose assignment is in the public library or any individual carrying out or assisting with the functions of a public library.

(3) “Individual with a vested interest” means any individual residing in the town in which the public library is located or the town in which the contract library is located at the time a reconsideration form is filed under subsection (e) of this section.

(4) “Remove” means deliberately taking library material out of a library’s collection. “Remove” does not include the process of clearing such collection of any materials that are no longer useful.

(b) The board of trustees, or other governing body, of each public library shall adopt a (1) collection development and maintenance policy, (2) library display and program policy, and (3) library material review and reconsideration policy. Each such policy shall ensure that all library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 46a-64 of the general statutes, including, but not limited to, discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability. In developing each such policy, the board shall have control over the content of each such policy, provided such policies are in accordance with the provisions of this section. The board of trustees or other governing body shall review, and update as necessary, each such policy every five years.

(1) Recognize that library materials should (A) be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all residents, and (B) represent a wide range of varied and diverging viewpoints in the collection as a whole;

(2) Recognize the importance of the public library as a place for voluntary inquiry, the dissemination of information and ideas and the promotion of free expression and free access to ideas by residents;

(3) Acknowledge that librarians are professionally trained to curate and develop a collection that provides residents with access to the widest array of library and other educational materials; and

(4) Establish a procedure for a librarian to continually review library and other educational material within a public library using professionally accepted standards, which shall include, but not be limited to, the material’s relevance, the physical condition of the material, the availability of duplicates or copies of the material, the availability of more recent age-appropriate or grade-level-appropriate material and the continued demand for the material.

(d) The library display and program policy shall, at a minimum:

(1) Recognize that library displays should (A) be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all residents, (B) represent a wide range of varied and diverging viewpoints, and (C) provide access to content that is relevant to the research, independent interests and educational needs of residents;

(2) Recognize the importance of displays and programs as resources for voluntary inquiry and the dissemination of information and ideas and to promote free expression and free access to ideas by residents;

(3) Acknowledge that librarians are professionally trained to curate and develop displays and programs; and

(4) Differentiate between library displays and programs that are created or curated by librarians or staff members of the public library and those displays and programs created by members of the public or community groups and exhibited in the public library.

(e) The library material review and reconsideration policy shall, at a minimum:

(1) Establish a process for individuals with a vested interest to challenge any library and other educational material, display or program;

(2) Limit consideration of requests to reconsider material, displays or programs to individuals residing in the town in which the library is located or the town in which the contract library is located;

(3) Require that no library material, display or program shall be removed, or programs be cancelled, because of the origin, background or viewpoints expressed in such material, display or program or because of the origin, background or viewpoints of the creator of such material, display or program;

(4) Require that library materials, displays and programs shall only be excluded for legitimate pedagogical purposes or for professionally accepted standards of collection maintenance practices as adopted in the collection development and maintenance policy or the display and program policy;

(5) Require that any process for petitioners to challenge any library material, display or program shall neither favor nor disfavor any group based on protected characteristics;

(6) Provide for the creation of a request for reconsideration form that may be submitted by an individual to the library director to initiate a review of such material. The form shall require such individual to specify which portion or portions of such material such individual objects to and provide an explanation of the reasons for such objection.

Such individual shall not submit a request for reconsideration form without including such individual’s full legal name, address and telephone number;

(7) Acknowledge that reconsideration requests are not confidential patron records under section 11-25 of the general statutes;

(8) Require that any library material being challenged remain available in the library according to its catalog record and be available for a resident to reserve, check out or access until a final decision is made by the library director;

(9) Require the library director to evaluate the request for reconsideration form, read the challenged material in its entirety, evaluate the challenged material against the collection development and maintenance policy and make a written decision on whether or not to remove the challenged material not later than sixty days from the date of receiving such request. The library director shall provide a copy of the library director’s decision and report to the individual who submitted the form;

(10) Permit the individual who submitted the request for reconsideration form to appeal, in writing, the library director’s decision to the board of trustees or other governing body for the library. The board, after evaluating the challenged material under the collection development and maintenance policy, shall (A) consult with (i) the library director, (ii) the State Librarian, or the State Librarian’s designee, (iii) a representative of the cooperating library service unit, as defined in section 11-9e of the general statutes, (iv) the president of the Connecticut Library Association, or the president’s designee, and (v) the president of the Association of Connecticut Library Boards, or the president’s designee, (B) deliberate on such request for reconsideration, (C) provide a written statement of the reasons for the reconsideration or refusal to reconsider the library material, and (D) provide any final decision that is contrary to the decision of the library director;

(11) Provide that once a decision has been made by the library director or the board of trustees or other governing board on the reconsideration of any library material, such material cannot be subject to a new request for reconsideration for a period of three years;

(12) Permit a library director to consolidate any requests for reconsideration of the same challenged library material; and

(13) Prohibit the removal, exclusion or censoring of any book on the sole basis that an individual finds such book offensive.

(f) Any librarian or staff member of a public library who, in good faith, implements the policies described in this section shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding that results from such implementation.

(g) The board of trustees, or other governing body, of each public library shall make available the (1) collection development and maintenance policy, (2) library display and program policy, and (3) library material review and reconsideration policy adopted under this section on the board’s or governing body’s Internet web site, or, if no such Internet web site exists, inside the library or included as part of such library’s policy manual.

Sec. 323. Subsection (i) of section 11-24b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(i) No principal public library shall be eligible to receive a state grant in accordance with the provisions of subsections (b), (c) and (d) of thissection if such principal public library does not maintain and adhere to a collection development [, collection management and collection reconsideration policies] and maintenance policy, a library display and program policy and a library material review and reconsideration policy that have been [approved] adopted by the board of trustees or other governing body of such library pursuant to section 321 of this act. Such [collection reconsideration] material review and reconsideration policy shall offer residents a clear process to request a reconsideration of library materials. In the instance of a book challenge, these policies shall govern.

Appendix J

Procedures for Formal Complaints for Reconsideration of Materials

Includes the Lyme Public Library Reconsideration Request Form

The following steps will be used when an individual feels that further action is necessary to address concerns about library resources. For the duration of this process, the material in question will remain in circulation in the library’s library. All library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with the protections against discrimination set forth in section 46a-64 of the general statutes (Appendix F)

A concerned patron who is dissatisfied with earlier informal discussions will be offered a packet of materials that includes the library’s mission statement, Materials Selection Policy, Reconsideration Form, and the Library Bill of Rights.
The Lyme library prohibits the removal, exclusion or censoring of any book on the sole basis that an individual finds such book offensive.
Patrons are required to complete and submit a Reconsideration Request Form to the library director. The library director will consolidate any requests for reconsideration of the same challenged library material.
The library director, with appropriate professional staff, will review the Reconsideration Form and the material in question, to consider whether its selection follows the criteria stated in the Collection Development Policy.
The library director will evaluate the request for reconsideration form, read the challenged material in its entirety, evaluating the challenged material against the collection development and maintenance policy.
The library director will make a decision on whether to remove the challenged material no later than sixty days from the date of receiving the reconsideration request. The library director shall provide a copy of their decision as a written report to the individual who submitted the form.
If the individual is not satisfied with the decision, a written appeal may be submitted within 10 business days to the Board of Trustees. The board, after evaluating the challenged material under the collection development and maintenance policy shall consult with the library director, State Librarian, or State Librarian’s designee, a representative of the cooperating library service unit as defined in section 11-9e of the general statutes (Appendix G), the president of the Connecticut Library Association, or the president’s designee, and the president of the Association of Connecticut Library Boards, or the president’s designee who shall deliberate on such a request for reconsideration, provide a written statement of the reasons for the reconsideration or refusal to reconsider the library material, and provide any final decision that is contrary to the decision of the library director.
If the board plans to address the appeal at their board meeting, the individual will be notified of when and where the meeting will be held.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to limit the length of public comments.
The decision of the board is final. Once a decision has been made by the library director or the board of trustees or other governing board on the reconsideration of any library material, such material cannot be subject to a new request for reconsideration for a period of three years.
Any librarian or staff member of a public library who, in good faith, implements the policies described in this section shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed and shall have the same immunity with respect to any judicial proceeding that results from such implementation.

The Lyme Library supports the American Library Association’s “Freedom to Read Statement” (Appendix A), which states that the freedom to read is essential to our American democracy and follows CT State Legislature bill SB1271 (Appendix H) which states that within Connecticut public and school libraries that materials, displays and programs may only be removed “for legitimate pedagogical purposes or for professionally accepted standards” The Lyme Library also supports the American Library Association’s “Freedom to View” statement ( Appendix B) and complies with the Connecticut General Statute 46a-64.(Appendix F )

This policy is in accordance with Public Act 25-168 Sec. 322, 323 (Appendix I). The library neither approves nor disapproves of the views expressed in materials included in the collection.

Lyme Public Library Reconsideration Request Form

The trustees of the Lyme Public Library have established a Collection Development Policy. Completion of the Reconsideration Request Form is the first step in the procedure for reconsideration of an item in the Lyme Library’s collection.

Guidelines for reconsideration:

Please review the Lyme Public Library’s Collection Development Policy before submitting this Reconsideration Request Form.
Please review a copy of the Lyme Library’s Procedures for Formal Complaints and Reconsideration of Library Materials before submitting a Reconsideration Request Form.
The individual submitting this form must be a current resident of Lyme.
Please note any library material will be subject to reconsideration for withdrawal from the collection if it is in violation of current State and Federal laws and guidelines.

There is a limit of three (3) submissions for reconsideration of an item in the Lyme Library’s collection.

Please note:

The Lyme Library supports the American Library Association’s “Freedom to Read Statement” which states that the freedom to read is essential to our American democracy and follows CT State Legislature bill SB1271 which states that within Connecticut public and school libraries that materials, displays and programs may only be removed “for legitimate pedagogical purposes or for professionally accepted standards.” This policy is in accordance with Public Act 25-168 Sec. 322, 323 and Connecticut Statue 46a-64. The Library also supports the American Library Association’s “Freedom to View” statement. The Library neither approves nor disapproves of the views expressed in materials included in the collection.

No library material, display or program shall be removed, or programs be cancelled, because of the origin, background or viewpoints expressed in such material, display or program or because of the origin, background or viewpoints of the creator of such material, display or program.

• Library materials, displays and programs shall only be excluded for legitimate pedagogical purposes or for professionally accepted standards of collection maintenance practices as adopted in the collection development and maintenance policy or the display and program policy.

• The materials review and reconsideration process used by town residents to challenge any library material, display or program shall neither favor nor disfavor any group based on protected characteristics.

• The individual completing a reconsideration form must include specific information about which portion or portions of such material they object to and provide an explanation of the reasons for such objection. The Request for Reconsideration form must include the individual’s full legal name, address and telephone number.

• Reconsideration requests are not confidential patron records under section 11-25 of the general statutes.

• Any library material being challenged will remain available in the library according to its catalog record and be available for a resident to reserve, check out or access until a final decision is made by the library director.

Appendix K

Intellectual Freedom Statement Against Censorship

The Connecticut Library Association (CLA) advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom – the rights of library users to read, speak freely, and have unrestricted access to information, as guaranteed by the First Amendment. We are committed to defending the constitutional rights of all individuals, of all ages, to use the resources and services of libraries.

Recently, organized attacks have targeted library materials and programs by BIPOC, LBGTQ+, and Jewish authors that address race, racism, enslavement, history, sexuality, gender identity and expression, bigotry, and antisemitism. This is a callous systemic erasure to undermine and eliminate the diversity of thought and experiences that reflect the BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Jewish communities. These assaults of intimidation threaten the livelihood and safety of authors, library workers, educators, and board members. CLA vehemently condemns these acts of censorship and intimidation.

We believe in the Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, and Article 19 of the Universal Declarations of Human Rights. Intellectual freedom is a core value of the library profession, and a basic right in our democratic society.

There is no good censorship. Any effort to restrict free expression, or the free flow of information, aids discrimination, and oppression. Fighting oppression with censorship is self-defeating. Critical thinking and civil discourse from all points of view must be protected and encouraged in a democracy. Any attack on these tenets is an affront to the rights of all people and works against the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion for which all libraries strive. Attempts to suppress and censor denies the individual the freedom to exercise critical judgment and to make their own decision about what they read and believe. We believe in the free enterprise of ideas and expressions.

We reject the claim that removing, labeling, or relocating a title will somehow shield children from the ideas contained within, especially in our connected digital world. We further reject the notion that anyone can perform the work we do without significant engagement with the professional ethics and expertise of librarianship. Libraries are safe places for children to encounter ideas in an environment that nurtures curiosity. Occasionally these encounters will include ideas that might be challenging, but we support the right of readers to be challenged, to learn, and to grow. Librarians and educators are the critical connection between readers and their books. It is our responsibility to champion these rights.

We pledge to stand with, defend, and assist our colleagues and library users in fighting censorship in all its forms. Exposure to a wide variety of perspectives and the unfettered exchange of ideas is necessary to preserve the freedoms guaranteed in a democratic society. We oppose the restriction, removal, banning, and censorship of books and other library materials that limit the freedom to read, speak, publish, or obstruct intellectual freedom

CT Library Association, 2/10/2022

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