A request for a review of book titles at the Miles City Public Library from Montana State Library Commissioner Tom Burnett is raising concern from local library leaders ahead of a planned visit next month. Discussed during the MCPL board of director's most recent meeting on Sept. 15, the board raised questions about how the review is being conducted amid worries that they may be getting pulled into a larger debate over the content libraries make available to their patrons.
Burnett — a former Republican state representative appointed to the Montana State Library Commission by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte in 2022 — sent emails to MCPL on Sept. 2 requesting the titles of books the library had purchased over the past year, with a stated focus on nonfiction, children's fiction and graphic novel titles, according to emails obtained via public records request. MCPL provided all books the library catalogued over the past year, not just those purchased. Burnett then followed up saying he had analyzed the adult nonfiction titles by name using ChatGPT, an AI tool, which determined the books had a "progressive-to-traditional" ratio of 33-10.
The communications raised warning flags for MCPL l...