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Residents fault Columbia County library policy changes and process at July 1 commission meeting
Summary
Several residents criticized recent library policy changes, staff departures and the regional reconsideration process during public comment at the Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting on July 1, 2025, urging the board to reverse or revise guidelines and restore library staff support.
Several Columbia County residents used public comment at the county Board of Commissioners meeting on July 1, 2025, to criticize recent library policy changes and board actions, saying the process has driven out staff and constrained access to materials.
Karen Parham, a resident who spoke to the board, said the county effectively “created a shell of a board so it doesn't have to hold public meetings while creating policies for the new region behind closed doors,” and said library staff have left in “record numbers.”
Parham told commissioners she believed reconsideration procedures were not followed, that decisions were rushed and that some books were moved between sections inconsistently. “The whole process was hasty, predetermined, and…
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