The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County (PLYMC) Board President Carole Weimer and Director & CEO Aimee Fifarek praise Governor DeWine for his leadership in protecting the right of all Ohioans to access materials from their local libraries.
The budget language that was sent to the Governor included excessively vague language that would have segregated certain materials related to sexual orientation and gender identity or expression from view of anyone under 18. The Governor vetoed this provision stating:
“This item would place vague restrictions on public libraries in an effort to regulate the placement of certain material within a public general circulation library. No child should have access to inappropriate materials or to materials that their parents or guardians deem inappropriate. In Ohio, we have strong laws on obscenity and material harmful to juveniles, and the DeWine-Tressel Administration expects those laws to be enforced. Therefore, a veto of this item is in the public interest.”
"This is a victory for everyone in our community,” said Fifarek. “The Governor’s decision to veto the vague materials restriction language in the bill is a victory for intellectual freedom. The right of everyone to access information at their local library is vital to a prosperous and successful community,” added Fifarek.
“Thank you to Governor DeWine for his decision to veto the proposed language. It was extremely vague and unworkable. PLYMC recognizes that parents and caregivers are the people best suited to make decisions on what their children read, which is why we encourage families to visit the library together,” said Erin Phemester, PLYMC Chief Experience Officer. “The language was so vague that complying would have required us to reconfigure our branches in a way that would have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars at the same time as we are facing budget cuts,” added Phemester.
“We would like to thank every single one of our patrons and supporters in the county who use their library, support their library, and love their library. They made their voices heard,” said Fifarek.
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The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (PLYMC) has served the Mahoning Valley since 1880 when the Youngstown Library Association was officially created. With 14 branches across Mahoning County, including Main Library in downtown Youngstown, PLYMC is well known for its signature services and programs like Summer Discovery and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. PLYMC serves our communities by preparing children for kindergarten, promoting early literacy, assisting job seekers, connecting Valley residents to technology, and providing resources for small businesses.