Does the decision by the Frederick County (MD) Commissioners not to pay for library audiobooks that aren't in English represent a serious threat to the Frederick County Public Libraries' (FCPL) collection development policies? Probably not, according to this report in the Frederick News-Post. After all, only three of the five commissioners were present, and the one commissioner who opposed the move voted yes only to ensure that the decision could be revisited by the full commission.

Library director Darrell Batson noted that, while the FCPL's world languages collection is small, the commissioners are ignoring the library's effort to respond to the community. "Obviously, this is an English speaking county," he told the newspaper. "That's of course what we stock, that is what meets the needs of our patrons. But we are always evaluating, always seeing what best meets the overall needs."

The commissioner pushing the ban did exempt instructional materials. However, when it was pointed out that audiobooks in foreign languages can help people learn them, he suggested they go to the bookstore. Doesn't that miss the point?