The Louisiana House of Representatives Tuesday passed a bill loosening hiring requirements for library directors across the state, a move that could make it easier for conservative local officials to hire supporters of book banning.
House Bill 974 (formerly HB-168) by Rep. Josh Carlson, a Lafayette Republican, removes a requirement that candidates for library director positions have master’s degrees in library sciences (MLIS), which are accredited by the American Library Association.
Instead, Carlson’s bill says candidates can have a master’s degree in any subject.
“I don’t think you can judge the quality of the leader simply by what their degree is alone,” Carlson said.
Librarians and anti-censorship advocacy groups, including the Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, view this bill as an attack on librarians' credentials and an attempt to undermine the ALA, which has come under fire by conservatives on the “culture war” frontlines, largely for being permissive over LGBTQ literature.
Carlson maintained the current law requiring the MLIS degree is too restrictive and prevents otherwise qualified candidates from applying for these leadership positions. He also argued that in rural parishes, the applicant pools are especially small, though there are already exemptions to the MLIS requirement in certain jurisdictions already.
New Orleans Rep. Matthew Willard, a Democrat, pushed back against the bill and suggested during a House debate that the removal of such a mandatory credential could corrupt the hiring process.
“Don’t you think that would allow the board of control to pick winners and losers?” Willard asked. “Right now, you have to have this degree. If you don’t have this degree, you’re not eligible. By opening it up and saying they could take this (candidate) but they can’t take that (candidate)... you get to essentially pick winners and losers.”
Willard also asked Carlson why he was making a local issue in his district into a statewide one.
The Lafayette Public Library Board had previously sought to remove the ALA-accredited MLIS degree from the director’s position before opening the process to the public. That’s because the library is no longer affiliated with the ALA, a move Carlson wholly supported.
“Wouldn’t you agree that with it being tailored and pretty narrow, people who are eligible to apply are very qualified?” Willard continued. “If your job is to lead a library, I think the best degree would be to have a master’s in library studies."
Carlson told lawmakers the bill was also partially pre-emptive and that finding qualified candidates could become a “bigger issue” down the road.
He also argued that parish libraries should be able to set their own standards.
“To lead an organization, you don’t necessarily have to have a degree in that area,” Carlson said. “We should consider those of other educational backgrounds ... There’s a national push in every industry to expand, and not just limit it to a very specific educational background."
The bill passed 64-39 and will head to the Senate next.
