The Louisiana House education committee Wednesday moved to advance legislation that would loosen hiring requirements for library directors across the state.
HB-168, authored by Lafayette Republican Rep. Josh Carlson, removes the requirement that candidates for library director positions have master’s degrees in library sciences (MLIS), which are accredited by the American Library Association.
Instead, he said he wants the law changed to include candidates who have any type of graduate degree, allowing parish library boards to set their own standards.
“The library director is a CEO, a visionary leader that must be willing to learn what he doesn’t know. He is passionate about libraries, not simply checking a certain educational box,” Carlson said when introducing his bill.
Carlson said the current law 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.
In further justifying his legislation, the lawmaker cited examples of billionaire CEOs who do not have business degrees.
“Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, has a degree in computer science,” he said, adding, Starbucks CEO “Howard Schultz has a degree in communications.”
Dozens who showed up to the meeting disagreed with Carlson’s bill, including several librarians who said the current requirements are there for a reason: Librarians, who are public employees, should, in fact, be trained in library sciences, they argued.
“Keeping the requirement in place helps maintain high standards of libraries, strengthens their capacity to service our communities and ensures library leaders are well-prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century,” said Mike Holt, who served as a longtime librarian.
Others called out Carlson for making a local issue in his district into a statewide one.
The Lafayette Public Library Board had sought to remove the American Library Association-accredited MLIS degree from the director’s position before opening the process to the public.
Conservatives like Carlson have in recent years been fighting against the ALA, accusing the 150-year-old organization of becoming too radical, particularly over its acceptance of LGBTQ people and literature.
Many far-right activists have since filed thousands of book challenges in the past few years and pushed for libraries to disaffiliate with the ALA.
Mary Garcia, who described herself as a library supporter and a regular attendee at library board meetings, also spoke in opposition to the bill.
She’s one of many speakers who have been urging lawmakers to look beyond the ongoing “culture war” issues.
“[Library directors] wouldn’t have the degree, and it wouldn’t be required by state law if it was not something that was desirable,” she said, adding, “There’s a reason for having certifications. Certifications matter. They provide extra skills.”
