| Dear Neighbor,
Earlier this month, I was pleased to host, along with Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, a listening session with 65-plus librarians from across the state. The goal of the listening session was to learn more about the challenges they have been facing in their field, with an eye toward potential legislation, if warranted. Along with a number of my fellow legislators, including Education Committee House Chair Jeff Currey, we discussed freedom of speech issues, the distinction between voluntary and compulsory reading lists, challenges to books on the shelves, the role of certified media specialists, the licensing of e-books, and other issues that concern libraries.
These dedicated library professionals spoke of how the so-called "culture war" is affecting their autonomy. They spoke of threats and harassment they have faced. My colleagues and I heard about the unfair publishing monopoly that drives up the costs of renewing licenses for e-books - wasting taxpayer dollars in every town in the state.
It was truly eye-opening to hear directly from them.
A special thanks to Ellen Paul, Executive Director of the Connecticut Library Consortium (CLC), and Sarah McCusker, President of the Connecticut Library Association (CLA) and Canton Library Director, for their help in making this listening session a success.
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