On February 17, 2025, the Arkansas Senate passed Senate Bill 184, a controversial measure that aims to eliminate the State Library Board and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission. According to the Arkansas Advocate, this legislation raises concerns about the future of public media and educational resources in the state.
Due to the bill’s novelty, limited information is available about its full impact if the House of Representatives advances it. In an interview, Garland County Library Director Adam Webb and Young-Adult Coordinator Brittany Chavez explained the bill’s ramifications for the library’s future.
As Webb explained, dissolving the State Library Board would lead to a loss of representation for libraries in the state legislature. Currently, Garland County member Sherri Bales is one of seven representatives from counties across the state, serving as a direct link of contact between the library and state representatives. If the Library Board is dissolved, according to Webb, Ms. Bales will no longer possess this role, and all responsibilities will shift to the already overburdened Department of Education. He warned, “Libraries are going to get lost in the shuffle, and [they] are not going to receive the attention required.”
Furthermore, Bill 184 would reduce the already limited funding that Garland County Library receives by imposing stricter content regulations under the Department of Education. For example, the current stipulations required to receive an annual $200,000 from the state (5% of the library’s budget) are decided by the State Library Board, with obligations such as having a credentialed librarian in charge and providing interlibrary loans to other libraries, Webb elucidated.
Under the Department of Education, these requirements could become stricter due to content restrictions imposed under the Huckabee administration. To receive funding, libraries could potentially be forced to limit books on LGBTQ+, Critical Race Theory, and other DEI topics, which, in itself, is a form of censorship, Webb further explained.
While state representatives have not publicly addressed these speculations, they come from a reasonable place of concern. This is not the first time the autonomy of public libraries in Arkansas has been compromised. Two years ago, Arkansas passed Act 372, which, according to the Arkansas State Legislature, made it a crime for libraries to provide minors with access to “obscene” materials. Anyone in the United States could legally question the appropriateness of the material, potentially leading to its banning from the library.
Webb explained that while the case could make sense for sexually explicit materials, this was not the situation, as people were protesting books on race, sex education, and other topics deemed “controversial.”
“[Anyone] could appeal [the book] to your local elected officials who don’t have to read the book…they could see that it’s a book on critical race theory or something like that, and just say, nope, it’s inappropriate, take it off the shelf…and that’s a violation of the first amendment,” he said.
After Webb and 16 other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit claiming the law was unconstitutional, it was suspended and is not currently in effect. However, the law is still being debated and could potentially reappear in future political reforms, such as in Senate Bill 184.
Amidst the growing uncertainty surrounding potential changes to library governance and funding, Chavez expressed the community’s collective uneasiness: “Everyone is just scared of what this change could bring. We are all in the dark right now.” However, she also emphasized the community’s love for the library: “The people of Garland County truly see the value of having a wonderful library where everyone is welcome.”
In the words of Chavez, “[Garland County Library is] very fortunate to have a wonderful community that has rallied behind our library, even in the darkest of times.”
