As library workers, we are ethically bound to provide services to everyone in our service area. The most important aspect of plain language writing is communicating with your audience. Written communication can be difficult for many of patrons. It is up to us to write in a way that can be understood by the majority of our patrons.

This means you have to actually get to know your audience. Get to know who your patrons are; not just the ones who actually come into the library, but everyone included in your service area. Write for everyone, not just your library regulars.

As library workers, you cannot know each patron's background nor should that be your goal. However, you are still responsible for making sure every library user is treated fairly and equally and that their use of the library is neither "denied or abridged". Therefore, write signage, forms, instructions, rules, etc. in a way that is easy to read and understand to ensure that patrons are not accidentally denied their right to use the library simply by making the library's rules difficult to understand and follow.

Writing in plain language is not about "dumbing down" the information, but about making the information clear, and quick and easy to understand.

Every person who enters the library carries along their invisible, personal baggage. They were born and raised in a culture that may or may not look like your own. They may have lived through a different time period and different generational norms. They may be richer or poorer than you. They may be highly educated or may have never graduated high school.

Writing in plain language ensures that everyone is given an equal opportunity to use the library and its resources.

This rule became effective July 24, 2019 and covers all Arkansas governmental agencies.

This rule also covers all Arkansas public libraries by extension because they are part of a county or municipal government which is an agent of state of Arkansas.

Luckily, this only covers "rules" (policies).

This means that as of July 24, 2019, any changes to your library's policies must be written in plain language. This is the minimum required by law. However, why not work on updating all of your policies now when you can take some stress-free time to get it right? The alternative is to wait until the problem is noticed outside of the library and county or state officials force you to update them in a short time frame and under pressure.

The writing you present to the public signals your own thoughts and feelings.

Writing signage, forms, and documents aimed at a high-literacy audience can leave those with lower literacy levels who need or want to use your library's services feeling intimidated and unwelcomed. These patrons will rarely admit their lack of understanding out of feelings of shame or embarrassment leading them to avoid the library all together.

Writing intimidating signage signals to patrons that you are unwilling to help if they cannot understand what you have written. They will not stick around to find out what your actual feelings are on the subject.

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