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Resident tells Columbia County commissioners to rescind library guidelines, cites First Amendment and process concerns
Summary
During public comment at the March 4 meeting, a longtime library board member urged commissioners to rescind recently implemented library guidelines, saying the guidelines were written without appropriate public input, moved books from children’s shelves and could violate the Library Bill of Rights and the First Amendment.
Marlona Bergeron, a resident and former member of the county library board, used the public-comment period at the Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting on March 4 to urge the commission to rescind new library guidelines and restore librarian autonomy.
"I am not here to endorse any one book or any position, but rather to advocate on behalf of parents and their households to find library books shelved where they belong and to make sure our librarians are respected and protected for doing their job," Bergeron told the commissioners. She said the new guidelines had led to books being moved from children’s and young-adult sections because of "partisan or doctrinal disapproval," and that the practice violated the Columbia County Library Bill of Rights and the First Amendment.
Bergeron said the guidelines were written by a "few appointed or elected officials," were not publicly approved by the full library board, and were submitted to commissioners on Sept. 3 without input from legal or library experts. She said the regional board later voted to approve the guidelines in December, but that other counties in the region had declined to adopt them. Bergeron told commissioners she learned that 42 books were moved without public notice and that the state librarian had advised pausing the policy until regional approval; she said that did not prevent the moves.
Bergeron criticized proposals to remove entire sections, saying some parents and patrons simply disagree with particular books. She warned against legislation she said would criminalize librarians, referencing SB 74, and urged commissioners to prioritize county recovery work and debris removal rather than micromanaging library collections.
"Please protect the library and the librarians. They are not criminals. They're your staff, and they've always been my heroes," Bergeron said.
Her comments followed a brief staff-and-commission business period; commissioners did not take action on the library guidelines during the March 4 meeting, and no formal motion on the guidelines was recorded in the meeting transcript.
