Ensuring Library Access and Equity: SEEN’s Candidate Questionnaire for the Barrington Area Library Board

At SEEN (Student Education Empowerment Network), we believe that libraries serve as vital pillars of knowledge, inclusivity, and community engagement. In an effort to promote transparency and informed decision-making, SEEN has reached out to all Barrington Area Library Board candidates with a questionnaire designed to address key issues facing our libraries today. Our goal is to provide the community with unedited responses from each candidate, allowing residents to make informed choices in the upcoming election. Please scroll down to read the questions.

Why This Matters

Libraries are more than just book repositories; they are community hubs that offer resources for education, cultural awareness, and access to technology. With recent national conversations surrounding book bans, censorship, and the role of AI in public services, it is crucial to understand where library board candidates stand on these important issues.

Our Questionnaire:

1. The Trump administration’s recent move to ban books from U.S. military schools has sparked a heated debate over censorship and educational freedom.  How would you handle challenges to books, programs, or library materials?

2. What do you think about ensuring equitable access to library resources for all residents?

3. Please describe your former or current public service activities and accomplishments, especially if they are related to libraries and library service, in the community (school groups, service clubs, other boards or commissions).

4. What major challenges do you expect the library to face next year?

5. How do you envision the library addressing new technologies, especially AI?

6. Private religious universities are committing to uphold their commitments of compassion, respect, and service to the in the face of funding threats from the current presidential administration. Will you commit to standing strong on principles of equity and ensuring respect, compassion, and access for all regardless of turbulence from the federal government? Please expand on what "equity" means to you. 

7. The library is seen as a safe and welcoming place where those of differing races, cultures, ethnicities, and abilities can find themselves reflected in the material on the bookshelves. Are you in support of the library continuing to honor such events as Black History Month, Disability Pride Month, ADHD Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, etc? Do you have additional ideas you'd be willing to share?

Next Steps

All candidate responses are due by March 6, 2025, and will be published unedited on our blog on March 7, 2025. We invite the Barrington community to review these responses and engage in discussions about the future of our library system.

At SEEN, we firmly believe that every student—and every community member—deserves to be SEEN, heard, and represented. We look forward to a library board that upholds these values and works toward a future where information and resources remain accessible to all.

For more information on SEEN and our advocacy efforts, please visit www.seennetwork.org.