CINCINNATI — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost came to an agreement with the Hebrew Union College to set new rules for the management and removal of invaluable ancient artifacts in the college’s Klau Library.
What You Need To Know
Attorney Genral Dave Yost comes to agreement with Hebrew Union College to protect rare books
The agreement allows the Ohio Attorney General’s Office oversight of the Klau Library
The deal resolved a lawsuit filed in June 2024 Yost filed against the college
The Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas approved the deal on Oct. 3.
The agreement makes sure the Attorney General’s Office has oversight to ensure that the library uses its rare-book collection to benefit the public.
“These sacred texts were entrusted to Hebrew Union with the promise that they would be preserved for the benefit of scholars and researchers worldwide,” Yost said. “I commend the college’s leaders for renewing that pledge with this agreement.”
The settlement resolved a lawsuit Yost filed in June 2024 after reports that the first Jewish institution of higher learning in America was looking to sell some of its rare books to offset a sizeable amount of debt it owes.
The Attorney General’s Office will now receive a complete list of all the precious texts in the library, according to the new agreement between Yost and the college. The college can also utilize any proceeds from sales for new books unless the college’s board declares a major financial need through a two-thirds majority vote, as established in the new deal.
Here are some of the other terms from the settlement:
Any existing donor restrictions on collection items must remain in effect
The college must maintain a collection-management policy consistent with recommendations from the American Library Association
The college can continue to engage in a routine movement of items within its library system and through interlibrary loans