Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Columbia County to rescind library shelving guidelines before new county system launches
Summary
Public commenters at the Dec. 16 Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting urged the board to rescind age-based shelving guidelines adopted in September 2024, saying staff used a nonprofessional tool and that LGBTQ-themed books were disproportionately relocated; speakers asked the board to restore books and provide transparency before the new Columbia County Library System begins Jan. 1.
Public commenters pressed the Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 to rescind age-based shelving guidelines that, they say, have led to the removal or relocation of youth materials and disproportionately affected books with LGBTQ themes.
Karen Parham, a resident who addressed the board during public comment, said the county adopted age-based shelving guidelines in September 2024 and that staff relied on "a nonprofessional biased website called Booklooks as part of that decision making process." She told the board that "books with LGBTQ themes were disproportionately affected" and that the guidelines remain in effect as the county prepares to launch its own library system on Jan. 1.
"Policies remain in effect until they are formally changed," Parham said, urging commissioners to rescind the policy and return affected titles to their prior locations. She framed the issue as a First Amendment concern and argued libraries should be governed by "professional content neutral standards rather than political or religious agendas."
Howard Johnson, who identified himself as a member of the Library Board and a commissioner candidate, also addressed the board and said he regretted a prior public accusation he made against a county official. Johnson requested that the single-county library decision be placed on a future agenda to allow commissioners and the public to "hear all sides" because he said the earlier vote was added to an agenda without prior advertisement.
Other speakers raised specific examples. Joan Krutzky described a children's anatomy book that had been moved from the youth section, and noted she believed some titles had been returned but others remained relocated. Board members responded in the meeting record that some actions had been individual staff decisions and that the county would not broadly remove the collection.
The commissioners did not take a vote to rescind the guidelines during the Dec. 16 meeting. The public comments established that at least some residents expect a formal agenda item or policy action before the county's new Columbia County Library System launches Jan. 1.
The board's next steps on library policy were not decided at the meeting; public commenters requested rescission of the September 2024 guidelines and a return of affected books.
