Residents, library board members urge changes to proposed regional library agreement

Margaret Teal, an Avery County appointee to the existing AME Regional Library board, told the Avery County Board of Commissioners on June 25 that the draft inter-county contract for the soon-to-be Tow River Valley Regional Library needs revision before commissioners sign it.

Speakers from Avery and neighboring counties said the draft reduces Avery County’s appointed board seats from four to two, inserts vague limits on the system director’s political speech and authorizes removal or restriction of materials based on an undefined standard of “community decency.” They urged the commission to send the draft back for more careful review and for the new regional board to adopt explicit collection-development standards.

The concern mattered to the speakers because the contract will govern library governance and operations across multiple counties. “The contract should consist of outlining how the counties will work together for the betterment of the library system … It should not contain details of duties related to the library director’s job that would typically be found in a job description,” Margaret Teal said.

Judge Frank, who identified himself as a member of the current AME board, said the proposed membership change would reduce Avery’s voting representation from four members to two while leaving Mitchell and Spruce Pine with two members each. “There’s a reduction of our representation, which I know we would like to have our voice strong, not weak,” he said.

Retired librarian Sharon Winters referenced letters the board received from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and from the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom raising constitutional and policy concerns. Winters urged the commissioners to require that the draft be revised so any constraints on an employee’s speech apply only when that employee is speaking in an official, job-related role, and so that any limits on materials or displays be replaced by an objective collection-development policy.

Multiple speakers warned that the draft’s prohibition on displays “of a political nature or dealing with matters of current political events” could be read to ban common seasonal or civic displays. “We can’t have a display for July 4. We can’t have a display for Christmas. We can’t have a display about elections,” Judge Frank said, arguing the language is constitutionally risky and practically unworkable.

Several speakers also noted the practical point that the system did not undergo a change in tax or business identity after Yancey County left the former AME Regional Library; they said the new contract should mainly reflect the updated name and the change in board membership rather than adding new, restrictive duties or vague standards.

Commissioners and staff said there is a planned follow-up meeting among the involved counties and library representatives to consider amendments to the draft. The board did not take formal action on the contract at the June 25 meeting.

The public comments portion of the meeting included a number of other agenda items; speakers were reminded the library contract item would be on a subsequent meeting agenda for formal consideration.