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Public commenter urges caution, alleges discriminatory treatment at Minot Public Library
Summary
During public comment, a local resident described being banned from Minot Public Library and alleged discriminatory treatment by staff, urging the committee not to place a merger on the ballot until fiscal and access issues are resolved.
A public commenter, Melissa, used her allotted time at the end of the joint City and County library meeting to urge caution about a potential merger and to raise allegations about staff conduct at the Minot Public Library.
Melissa said she had been banned from Minot Public Library, described being cited for behavior she says she had previously been permitted to do, and alleged she faced harassment and discriminatory treatment. She also said the library charged her $110 for books she could not return while she was prevented from using the facility. "They wrote me up one day without warning... and then they go ahead and do stuff like ban me for a year... they're charging me $110 for the books," Melissa said during her five-minute public comment.
Melissa expressed concern that merging the systems could reduce options for patrons who depend on public computers and local branches for job applications and essential services, and she urged the committee to ensure that any proposed merger preserves access for vulnerable residents. "I'm going to ask you nicely and responsibly as a taxpayer is please make sure that the funds all match... and all the other parts work before you put that on the ballot," she said.
The meeting transcript records the allegation but does not include a direct response from library leadership or committee members during the public-comment period. The committee did not take formal action related to the allegations at the meeting; the body instead voted earlier to form a small finance review group to examine budget assumptions and scheduled a follow-up meeting on June 16.
The committee may consider formal responses or administrative follow-ups in a future meeting or through library administration channels; none were recorded in this meeting's minutes.
