Resident raises alarms about missing LGBTQ titles and urges statewide-backed collection policy for new Columbia County library system

At the public-comment portion of the meeting, Karen Parham urged the county to finalize a content-neutral, professionally grounded collection-development policy before the countywide library system launches in January 2026 and reported repeated missing library titles.

Parham, who said she often works with the Freedom to Read Coalition of Columbia County, told the board that the book 'Gender Queer' had been missing from the Evans branch since Oct. 5 and that another LGBTQ title had also disappeared. Parham said system records showed the titles as available, but physical copies could not be found by staff.

"Whether these books were intentionally taken or simply lost in the shuffle, the perception of vulnerability in this community is real, and those perceptions matter," Parham said. She encouraged the county to consider strengthening security measures at all three branches and to ensure a clear, neutral policy replaces the current age-based shelving guidelines.

A commissioner asked whether the missing books had been checked out; Parham replied that the system still showed availability and that staff had to look up the missing copy manually. No enforcement action or staff report was recorded during the meeting; the comment was filed for the record and flagged as a concern for library administration.

The board did not take immediate action during the meeting on library policy; staff and stakeholders are expected to continue discussions.