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Residents ask Brookings County to pause library funding over books for minors
Summary
County residents urged commissioners to withhold funding for the Brookings Public Library until the library implements content warnings, adult-only labeling for certain books, and accountability from its director or board.
Brookings County resident Sharon Larson told the commission it must “consider pausing funding for the Brookings Public Library until they get some accountability from the director or their board.” Larson framed her appeal as concern for children’s safety, citing drugs, alcohol, traffickers and “pedophiles” as community risks that demand protective steps by local institutions.
Other residents made similar requests during the public-comment period. Susan Struwe said county funding should be paused “for the harm that it’s doing to the kids” and asked the library to post signage marking young-adult materials for ages 18 and older. Jeff Struwe asked the county to withhold funding until the library “keeps pornography out of children’s hands and develop[s] a means to label books containing pornography and relocate to a designated adult area.” Neither the library director nor a library board representative responded during the meeting; commissioners did not take immediate action on the request.
