The head librarian of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library (NOTL) has been fired after an op-ed she wrote was deemed hateful by her woke superiors.
Cathy Simpson, 60, the well-liked and respected Chief Librarian and CEO of the NOTL Public Library, serving the sleepy Canadian tourist town of 20,000 residents, ran afoul of her woke superiors on the library board after publishing a common sense and balanced op-ed during ‘Freedom to Read Week’. (The campaign is held every February is intended to draw attention to banned books and encourage, well, the freedom to read them.)
Simpson’s February 22 article “Censorship and what we are allowed to read,” called out libraries across Canada and the US that engage in self-censorship and lack of ‘diversity of ideas’ in favor of worshiping at the altar of DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion).
The piece gained a lot of positive attention from colleagues, according to Simpson; however, Daryl Novak, chair of the library board, says that Simpson was dismissed based on her politicized promotion of Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR) and for using her job title in the op-ed
“Cathy has a right to free speech. Her right to free speech needs to be protected. That’s not the issue,” said Novak. “However,” he continued, “our rights to free speech get curtailed somewhat when we associate ourselves with an organization.”
FAIR has been unjustly criticized by some on the left as racist, despite its nobel campaign in promoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s vision to defend civil rights and liberties, while promoting a common culture based on fairness, understanding, and humanity.
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Novak seemingly missed the point that the entire reason Simpson (who has overseen collection development at the library for the past 11 years) would be best suited to address these issues in libraries—is that she’s a librarian.
Novak complains that the implication is that what Simpson wrote is actually the library’s position, “and it wasn’t,” he said.
Simpson has been as quiet as a librarian over her discardment, but has said the views she expressed have been misrepresented by the board and her detractors.
She also said that before she was fired she received messages of support from library patrons, professional organizations and other librarians — “but they are afraid to speak up out of fear of retribution.”
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Simpson’s column detailed a shocking look into “hidden library censorship,” and opened the record on “the vigorous defense of books promoting diversity of identity, but little to no defense of books promoting diversity of viewpoint, and the purchase of books promoting ‘progressive’ ideas over ‘traditional’ ideas.”
Novack says that the main issue with Simpson’s opinion piece was that it wasn’t the position of the library.
“I think the what it really came down to is the way Cathy was interpreting our policies and what she wanted to do to balance the collection was at odds with what the board feels and what the staff feel in relation to our policies, and our statements on, our mission, vision and values, about equity, diversity, and so forth,” Novak said.
Before being dismissed, Simpson was hauled in front of a library inquisition board that demanded she find a way to “rebuild and build the confidence of the board and the confidence of the staff and move forward.” Simpson’s refusal to close the book on the issue likely led to her fate.
Novak said that as part of Simpson’s goal to add different viewpoints to the library’s collection, he added in various controversial books to the library, such as “How Woke Won: The elitist movement that threatens democracy, tolerance and reason.”
“That’s really where the breakdown came.”
In response to the firing of Simpson, Executive Director of FAIR, Monica Harris responded in a statement that the organization believes it is vital to promote ‘viewpoint’ diversity in library collections while respecting a wide range of perspectives, rather than succumbing to divisive rhetoric and baseless accusations against people whose opinions are deemed offensive or unpopular. “It is my sincere hope that going forward, Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library will strive to foster inclusivity and uphold its duty to protect intellectual freedom,” said Harris.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library is currently checking out how much it has to pay Simpson in severance late fees.
