Like a book on a shelf, the Shell Knob Branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library is nestled at the end of a row of shops on the “Plaza,” a few doors down from the laundromat, and caddy- corner from the Thrifty Closet.

As a kid, I went there for story times in the basement. I went there on both rainy and sunny days to check out hundreds of books well before I could read any of them on my own. The quiet stillness of the library and the smell of old books lingers indelibly in my memory. In almost every way, it is a sacred place of my childhood. I am sure many have had similar experiences with the libraries of your own childhood.

Now, my family and I frequent the Aurora Branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library System almost weekly. When our entire family was ill by COVID last winter, the librarians at Aurora went out of their way to bring books to our house for us to read. They did this for many.

Our family has enjoyed the great fortune of getting to know the wonderful people who work at the Aurora Branch. My oldest, Luella, who is 3 years old, calls the library “our” library when we drive by.

The sense of ownership is fitting.

“Our” Aurora library is all of ours. It should be a point of pride in our community to be blessed with the service of our public librarians. It should be the point of pride for every community. Our librarians, like our school teachers and administration, are true public servants, working in anonymity to ensure that we have access to an important social institution.

Please do not discount how important public libraries are to our society. For the great part of human history, the ability for the public to access books was regulated by the rich and powerful. Books were expensive and libraries, if there were any, were largely private.

In the early 1900s, public libraries became fixtures of communities. With the proliferation of public libraries came the true democratization of information. Today, as for the last 100 years, public libraries are still a place resonating with freedom of thought. And, they should remain so.

But, that appears to be in danger. There is something startlingly amiss with today’s politics. Librarians (and teachers) have become castigated as inimical to families and children. Self-serving politicians holding themselves out to be public servants peddle outrage, ignorance and anger on social media about how librarians and teachers are programmatically indoctrinating our children. This rhetoric has translated to real life consequences that now threatens real harm to our own Barry-Lawrence Regional Library System.

A southwest Missouri politician (thankfully not any that represents our library system), has proposed cutting all state funding to public libraries. Rep. Cody Smith, who sits as the budget chairman in the Missouri House of Representatives, has proposed eliminating all state funding to public libraries in Missouri because some librarians have opposed state laws that regulate books that don’t align with purported liberty-minded values.

Notwithstanding the petty vendetta politics that Rep. Smith is engaging in, isn’t it the responsibility of parents to regulate what their kids read, not underpaid librarians, and much less Jefferson City elites?

Libraries are cashstrapped to begin with, and the mandate issued by Jefferson City politicians to librarians to do more with less is yet another example of how out of touch some politicians have become. If you don’t believe me, just ask your local librarian what the proposal to withdraw state funding would look like. I’m certain it’s not going to help any.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way, there are those in Jefferson City who are trying, like public librarians, to truly serve the public, and they need to hear directly from you that Rep. Smith’s idea stinks to high heaven.

Reach out to your local representative about how bad an idea Rep. Cody Smith’s budget proposal is. Legislators representing the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library are:

• Representative Mitch Boggs, District 157, 573751-4077; mitch.boggs@house.mo.gov

• Representative Scott Cupps, District 158, 573751-1488, scott.cupps@house.mo.gov

• Senator Mike Moon, District 29, 573-751-1480, mike.moon@senate. mo.gov Let them know that their acquiescence to Rep. Smith’s budget idea is not good for our library and our communities.

Aaron Hadlow is an associate at Pettit Law Office in Aurora. He may be reached at Aaron@pettitlawoffice. com.