Residents decry Columbia County decision to leave Greater Clark Hills regional library system

Several residents urged Columbia County officials on June 3 to rethink or better explain a recent decision to withdraw the county library from the Greater Clark Hills Regional Library system.

Howard Johnson, a local resident, told commissioners he believed the May 6 decision to remove the county from the regional system "was made in haste without public comment." He said the regional partnership expands access to books and storage across member libraries and warned that severing ties will reduce redundancy and weaken the system.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Johnson said, adding that the regional arrangement saved residents the equivalent of millions of dollars annually in shared collections and circulation. He also said he asked commissioners at an earlier meeting whether any of them were qualified librarians and was told they were not; he urged the board to listen to professional library staff.

Karen Lawrence, who described herself as a long‑time local patron, said parental monitoring—not government censorship—should guide children's reading choices. "If a parent wants to limit their children's reading topics, they're responsible to do it while leaving books where they are for the rest of us who are interested in reading them," she said.

Speakers asked the board to consider professional library experience and the practical benefits of shared collections. The board did not take further action on the item during the June 3 meeting; residents said they want more public input and clarification about the reasons and expected effects of the withdrawal.