Last Straw:They locked kids out of libraries

The record

• Victoria Bauman's win in 2025 completed a KCRCC sweep of all five CLN board seats.¹
• The board stripped 8,900 kids of access to other libraries in the network.²
• Its own lawyer warned this created more legal risk than the law required. The board did it anyway.²
• 14 of 15 member libraries voted to dissolve the 40-year Cooperative Information Network because of the minor cardholder restrictions.³
• Patrons of 14 other libraries lost the ability to use their cards at CLN. Small rural libraries were hurt most.⁴
• Eleven libraries formed a new regional network without CLN, locking CLN patrons out.⁵
• The board hired attorney Colton Boyles, who scored a D-minus on qualifications and had never represented a school or library.⁶
• Residents asked for a small tax increase to keep services intact. The board said no and cut hours.⁷

Who

• Victoria BaumanBoard member; her win completed the sweep.
• Tim PlassBoard member.
• Tom HanleyBoard member.
• Angelo BrunsonBoard member.

Sources

1. Victoria Bauman wins Community Library Network seatSpokesman-Review · May 2025 (archive)
2. Kootenai County library system approves adult-only room for books with mature content as 140 titles pulled from shelvesSpokesman-Review · January 2025 (archive)
3. Regional library consortium members vote to dissolve Cooperative Information NetworkSpokesman-Review · July 2025 (archive)
4. Cooperative Information Network dissolves, ending shared library access across regionKXLY · 2025 (archive)
5. New regional library network formsCoeur d'Alene Press · August 2025 (archive)
6. North Idaho College hires attorney with extremist ties who scored lowest on board assessmentSpokesman-Review · August 2023 (archive)
7. 'Please don't bleed our libraries dry'Coeur d'Alene Press · July 2023 (archive)