Bill threatens our libraries and taxpayers

As an Iowan born and raised, I have spent the last 20 years working in our state’s libraries and witnessing how they serve as the heartbeat of our towns. Every day, libraries help Iowans find jobs, start businesses, and teach their children to read. More than 70% of Iowans hold a library card because these institutions deliver real, practical value.

Iowa has built a world-class library system. We have more libraries per capita than any other state. House File 2270 threatens the common-sense Iowa values that made us a national leader in literacy, efficiency, and local control.

The Danger of Singling Out Libraries

If the state intends to prohibit public institutions from relying on standards and best practices developed outside of government, we must ask why libraries are being uniquely targeted.

These forms of external expertise and industry standards remain essential for high quality education, public safety, and emergency services. Stripping libraries of the same tools is inconsistent and unnecessary.

Honoring an Iowa-Born Legacy

In 1938, the Library Bill of Rights was drafted in Des Moines by library director Forrest Spaulding. It was created to ensure that Iowa libraries remained neutral, locally governed centers of community life. For nearly 90 years, Iowans have championed the idea that free societies read freely. This Iowa-born standard later became a national model.

Fiscal responsibility

Iowa’s libraries deliver a return of $5 to $9 dollars for every public dollar invested. That efficiency exists because libraries rely on proven professional benchmarks rather than duplicating work at the local level.

Forcing the state or local governments to reinvent best practices that are already available at no cost to taxpayers is inefficient and wasteful. It runs counter to Iowa’s long-standing commitment to responsible stewardship of public funds.

Literacy rates are falling

At a time when literacy rates are declining nationwide, and 67% of Iowa’s fourth-graders are below proficient in reading, our state should be strengthening the institutions that 1.8 million residents rely on every year. We should not dismantle a system built in Des Moines that has served our communities for nearly a century.

I urge you to protect local control, fiscal responsibility, and Iowa’s legacy of literacy.

Please vote NO on HF 2270.

Sam Helmick is oresident of the American Library Association, past president of the Iowa Library Association and chair of the Iowa Governor's Commission on Libraries.