Resident urges county to appoint library board members who will keep libraries 'for everyone'

Melanie Koloski, a Limestone County resident, told the county commission during public comment on Jan. 6 that she attends local library board meetings to oppose behavior she described as disruptive by members of Moms for Liberty and Cleanup Alabama.

Koloski said she has attended library meetings since April 2024 and objected to what she called “contentious behavior” from those groups. "Libraries are for everyone," she said, adding that she read a children's book about dyslexia at a board meeting to show what is under discussion and that some board members interpreted the book as representing other issues.

The comment came ahead of a scheduled board appointment the commission is expected to make later in the day; Koloski asked commissioners to appoint board members who would respect that libraries serve all families. The county chairman acknowledged Koloski’s remark and moved on to other public commenters.

Koloski identified the book she read as being on a list promoted by Moms for Liberty and Cleanup Alabama and said she was speaking as the parent of a child with dyslexia. She described subsequent meetings as “very ugly” and expressed concern about a person who applied to serve on the library board after those meetings.

No formal commission action was taken during the public comment period; the comment was recorded for the public record and the commission continued with its agenda.