The activity discussions are meant to be exploratory and to generate thinking about core values. The discussions are not meant to resolve the scenario, as this would require more information, more time, and more specific scenario circumstances.
The following are sample scenarios.
Scenario A
A controversial speaker has booked a meeting room, and the board has the following information:
- While event bookings are operational, the library director was concerned that this booking had extraordinary risks and let the board know of the booking in
- Municipal staff are concerned about potential risk to public property and any other costs (cleanup, policing).
- Library staff and the union have expressed safety concerns.
- There has been both negative and positive commentary in the local news and on social media.
- An influential municipal councillor has phoned the library director and the board chair to express concern.
- Policy about room rentals is ambiguous and does not address criteria for denying a room-rental request or for cancelling an
Scenario B
A parenting group has requested the removal of a popular young-adult novel series.
- The group filed a formal request for the removal from the
- The group will be attending the public portion of this week’s board meeting and, as per board policy, will be given time to speak to the
- There is no policy regarding the process or criteria for removal of items from the collection.
- There is no known record of this type of request coming before the board before.
- Practice has been that the library director addresses and resolves collection
- The board chair and the library director have called the board together to discuss the application, risks, and benefits of the Statement on Intellectual Freedom on this