Public Library Boards, Democracy, and Authoritarianism

Over the past year at workshops, retreats, or in coaching sessions, there has been a growing interest for a larger dialogue on public library boards, democracy, and authoritarianism.

I thought I might be able to swing that dialogue through a research project this year (sort of my MBA project on public library governance Part 2), but my calendar says different. For now I have a blog post (see link below).

From the blog post.

Canadian public libraries are foundational to our free democratic society. Our public libraries are unique spaces of intellectual freedom, privacy, and equitable access to information and ideas, which together (along with their expertise in counteracting misinformation) are essential so that everyone – me, you, the people we love, and the people we disagree with – can participate in learning, creating, having opinions and big ideas, and in getting along with each other in a diverse and complex democratic society.

As such, Canadian public library boards need and deserve board development strategies and opportunities purposefully aligned with, and designed and delivered for, their roles and responsibilities in governing the unique organizations that public libraries are in a free democracy.

Without this fulsome board development, public libraries are open to the risk of:

📌 Operational failure.
📌 Activist board members from across the political spectrum who wish to undermine intellectual freedom or other principles that are unique to the role and impact of the public library.
📌 Egregious legislative changes and government overreach.

You can read more of my thinking on this and calls to action at the Courageous Leaders Newsletter (always free) at https://lnkd.in/gnDzkTZq.

You can find out more about me and my work at the Courageous Leaders Project, a coaching and leadership development firm that sparks courageous conversations at https://lnkd.in/gAcX9g7t.”