Putnam County appoints Diane Duncan to library board as officials respond to book‑challenge complaints

Putnam County commissioners on Nov. 10 appointed Diane Duncan to a three‑year term on the county library board after a contested selection process and extensive public comment about challenged titles.

The nominating committee presented two candidates: Diane Duncan, who described 20 years of service to the Putnam County Library as bookkeeper, interim director and director, and Mary Lee Bucher, a former literature and composition instructor who described her experience as a parent and grandparent. "I worked at the Putnam County Library for 20 years," Duncan said, noting her work with literacy programs including the Imagination Library.

The appointment followed a public discussion about several titles that members of the public characterized as sexually explicit and inappropriate for the children's or young adult sections. One commissioner read extended excerpts from three titles during public comment to illustrate the concerns; multiple speakers credited the library director and staff for relocating graphic novels and other material from the young adult area to the adult stacks and for responding to challenges.

Library Director Catherine (Katherine) Wiesinger told the commission that staff and trustees have taken the challenges seriously, moved explicit material from the young adult section to the adult section, and planned a thorough age‑appropriate review of juvenile and young‑adult collections. "We have moved any explicit material from the young adult section to the adult section," Wiesinger said, and she urged that the library remain a place for both freedom to read and parental choice.

Commissioners discussed the library’s challenge and review process, noted there is an existing challenge procedure, and praised staff responsiveness. After a vocal roll call vote for the two nominees, Diane Duncan received 12 votes, Mary Lee Bucher received 8, with one abstention recorded; the chair declared Duncan appointed to the Putnam County Library board for the term expiring June 2028.

The appointment came amid community engagement and high turnout at the meeting; commissioners said the public interest demonstrates the importance residents place on the library and its collections. The transcript records commissioners emphasizing they do not intend to ban books but to ensure age‑appropriate placement and to follow the library’s existing review procedures.