Animal Welfare Program Reconsideration Update
Saratoga Springs Public Library is committed to serving as an open, accessible public forum for our community, where topics of local interest, even those which are potentially controversial, may be addressed civilly and productively. As an organization with a long history of providing programming about Saratoga’s colorful local history, including racing, horses, and the Saratoga Racecourse, and one that has a long history of working with and presenting programs about animals and their handlers, a program about the welfare of animals in the racing industry is of profound local interest, and a logical addition to our programming complement.
Unfortunately, in its current configuration, the recently-announced program featuring a presentation from representatives of an organization named Horseracing Wrongs fails to accomplish our mission in a manner that appears balanced and complete. As a result, the library’s sponsorship of the program has been withdrawn.
Even though staff have done diligence in researching the presenters’ organizational affiliation and reviewing the content of the presentation, the program as it is presented and titled now appears to platform and align the library with an activist group with a very specific point of view about an unsettled topic without providing a countervailing viewpoint. We are grateful for the thoughtful feedback from community members, particularly those in the horse community, asking us to reconsider sponsoring the program. We have heard that feedback and will endeavor to do better in planning a future program related to this topic.
Library meeting room space is available for use by local non-profit organizations to meet, and is often used by organizations with which the library has no affiliation even though some staff members may have personal affinities with their missions. A broad array of organizations, ranging from homeowners’ associations to political and religious organizations to neighborhood book clubs are registered users of library space. As a non-profit organization with local ties, Horseracing Wrongs may be included among the organizations that use library meeting space without the implied or explicit endorsement of the organization or its meeting content.