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Residents and library board members urge changes to proposed regional library agreement
Summary
Multiple public commenters, including AME Regional Library board members and a retired librarian, told Avery County commissioners that draft language in a forthcoming interlocal library agreement is vague and could limit the system director’s authority and patrons’ First Amendment rights; commissioners said they will revisit an amended agreement at an upcoming meeting.
Multiple residents and appointed library-board members told Avery County commissioners at a June special meeting that a draft inter-county agreement for the region’s new library system needs revisions to avoid limiting librarians’ discretion and patrons’ access to materials.
"The contract should consist of outlining how the counties will work together for the betterment of the library system," said Margaret Teal, a member of the AME Regional Library System board representing Avery County, urging commissioners to compare the draft to the previous agreement and remove managerial job descriptions and references to specific individuals.
Judge Frank, who said he also serves on the library board, flagged clauses that would prevent the regional director from "becoming involved in party politics" or from allowing displays "of a political nature or dealing with matters of current political events." He said such language could imperil First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and would be "incredibly limiting" to what libraries could display.
Sharon Winters, a retired librarian from Mitchell County who said she consulted the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, urged the board to remove vague phrases like "community decency" from the draft. "Without objective standards, determinations of community decency ... hinge on the subjective judgment and biases of the officials making them," she said, and asked the counties to direct the new board and director to adopt a clear collection-development policy with objective criteria.
Other residents echoed those concerns and urged the commissioners to provide a clearer guide ahead of finalizing the interlocal agreement. Carissa Sorel, a frequent Avery County Library patron, told the board she trusts library staff to select materials and opposed moving acquisition authority from professionally trained librarians to a politically appointed board.
The chair said the counties will continue discussions and that an amended interlocal agreement is expected to be considered at an upcoming meeting between the affected counties.
What happens next: Commissioners did not adopt or change the draft at this session; staff and stakeholders signaled they will continue negotiating language and return with an amended agreement for further review.
