Washington has passed legislation intended to safeguard its public libraries, after a small city in the southeastern corner of the state nearly became the first community in the nation to shutter its library over the book battles that have engulfed schools, libraries, cities and states across the country.
The legislation, which passed both the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee Tuesday, comes in response to a push last year to close the only library in rural Columbia County. The new law will make such attempts much more difficult, requiring more signatures to get potential shutdowns on the ballot and then allowing a broader population of voters to decide a library’s fate.