Stephanie Beaulieu

I respectfully oppose HB 1214 because it undermines the independence of New Hampshire’s public libraries and weakens the community-based governance that has long protected intellectual freedom, professional standards, and public trust. Libraries function best when guided by independent boards that reflect the diverse values of their communities and rely on trained professionals—not shifting political bodies—to make collection and policy decisions. Allowing municipal takeovers invites politicization of library services, threatens free access to information, and places educational and cultural institutions at risk of censorship or instability tied to election cycles. Our libraries are already accountable to the public through transparent boards and local funding; HB 1214 replaces that balance with unnecessary government control that could chill inquiry and erode one of the most trusted civic institutions we have. This bill risks turning libraries into political battlegrounds, which New Hampshire has traditionally resisted—especially for institutions devoted to education and free inquiry. In NH our motto is Live Free or Die.