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 content‑based library guidelines as single library system takes effect
Summary
Multiple residents testified against age‑based, content‑based shelving guidelines and urged Columbia County commissioners to rescind the rules before the new single County library system begins Jan. 1, saying the policy disproportionately affected LGBTQ titles and lacked professional standards.
Residents who addressed the Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 urged the board to rescind the county's age‑based shelving guidelines and restore relocated youth titles before a new single Columbia County Library System takes effect Jan. 1.
Howard Johnson, a library board member who also identified himself as a commissioner, began public comment with an apology for a prior false accusation and invited commissioners to meet residents at a local library group. He criticized the December vote that established the single county library system and asked the board to place the vote on a future agenda for full consideration, saying, "I once asked you for some advice ... one of the things you told me was to not vote until you have heard all sides."
Karen Parham, who provided a home address for the record, told commissioners the September 2024 guidelines impose "vague and subjective content restrictions across all youth categories," and she said staff used a non‑professional website called "Book Looks" in collection decisions. Parham said dozens of young adult books were moved to adult sections, and that books with LGBTQ themes were disproportionately affected: "Policies remain in effect until they are formally changed," she said, urging the board to rescind the guidelines and return books "where they belong."
Other residents echoed concerns about politicization and the effect on children's access. Joan Kratzke, a nurse who said she found an anatomy book moved out of the children's section, said librarians should be entrusted to make collection decisions rather than elected officials. Kratzke also expressed worry that library decisions were being framed in ways that exclude members of the community.
Commissioners did not take immediate action to rescind the guidelines during the meeting. Staff and other speakers referenced prior legal advice discussed at a 2023 meeting, and one county attorney had previously told the board that content‑based shelving restrictions present First Amendment risks. No formal direction to staff to change policy was recorded on Dec. 16.
The public comment period continued with broader concerns about data centers and what residents described as county transparency issues; those topics were raised by several speakers and are covered in a separate article. The board completed its scheduled votes on grants, easements and personnel matters and adjourned.
