After listening to concerns about LGTB-focused book displays, the Macon County Public Library is developing an “intellectual freedom in libraries” process that would address how members can object to materials or displays.
The under-development policy has been in the works for months by retiring Macon County Librarian Karen Wallace, who updated the county library board of trustees at a Dec. 20 meeting. No one called for a vote about the new policy at the meeting. The next library board meeting is scheduled for February.
At library board and county commissioner meetings last year, several people objected to an LGBT display in June during Pride Month. However, Wallace said there were no formal objections, rather just vociferous public comments.
The latest revisions are centered around making sure local residents who are library members are the ones making the objections.
“If someone wants you to reconsider materials, should they have to be from your county or your region; do they have to live there, do they have to have a library card,” Wallace said. “And we realized, we should establish that they should be a community member, and in fact, [they should] also be a library card holder.”
Wallace said some people go to different communities and challenge books. This idea comes after meeting with other library directors across North Carolina.
Another change in the new policy deals with displays, saying that some of the past objections had nothing to do with if the library had a “controversial” book, but rather if it was on a display.
Wallace told the board that there currently is no objection process for displays, which she said will be in the new policy.
“Some of the people have told us that they interpret [a display] to mean we are promoting the content therein,” Wallace said to the board. “We have done our best to explain to them that our personal perspectives are not a piece of this at all.”
Wallace said this is more about putting information out there for people who see, hear or read about different topics, such as June being LGBT Pride Month.
“Because of the national observation, we figured that people in this community could be interested in that topic, and we want libraries to be relevant to people’s lives,” Wallace said. “It’s not about promoting one lifestyle over another or one way of life or one perspective, it’s showing the community we have lots of different things, and things they are hearing about.”
Wallace brought up a section of the proposed policy titled “selecting materials on controversial topics.”
“The library collection will be organized and maintained to facilitate access,” Wallace read directly from the proposed policy. “No collection materials, book club selections, storytime selections or library displays will be labeled, restricted, sequestered or altered because of any controversy about the author, subject matter or intended or potential audience.”
Wallace said this proposed policy “lays to rest” the idea of putting LGBT[QIA] stickers on books or labeling any books.
As she has in recent months, Wallace said the library is a place where people can find something that suits their beliefs.
“If we satisfy your request to remove or not display it, then this person over here is not getting the service we think they should,” Wallace said. “We’re not going to deny other people the choices they will make.”
Later in the meeting, Wallace said that staff has complied with some requests from people raising a fuss over library displays. One was moving an adult graphic novel display away from the teen section.
“That was an informal request for consideration that we as staff heard,” Wallace said. “It’s not like we haven’t listened, and we have actually obliged some of their requests.”
Wallace added that there’s a new committee on this subject for all the Fontana Regional Library System’s material complaints.
“We’re doing the best we can to try to improve the understanding of the board, the staff, the public, everybody about how and why we manage our collections,” Wallace said.
The current idea is that a formal objection to material or display would go to library management. If the person disagrees with management’s decision, they can appeal to the library board of trustees.
Speaker time limits and staff compensation
As part of her update, Wallace encouraged the board to adopt time limits for public speakers, a recommendation from the Fontana Regional board.
The new Macon County Librarian Abigail Hardison will bring the motion to the next library board meeting, Wallace said. Hardison attended the Dec. 20 meeting.
“It’s not a policy, it’s more of a practice,” Wallace said of the time limit idea.
Several board members said they found out about the need for time limits after multiple public speakers showed up during the summer meetings objecting to the LGBT Pride Month display. There were no public speakers or non-media members of the public at the Dec. 20 meeting.
Regarding the 2022-27 long-range plan, Wallace said one of the goals would be to get more public funding for the library to offer living wages to the staff.
“We are still starting people at $10 or $11 an hour, depending on the position, for most of our library assistants,” Wallace said. “That is not a livable wage. And our staff has let us know that it’s not, and we have a lot of turnover and there’s a certain amount of morale problem that we have because they don’t feel valued. And here’s the [county commissioners] saying ‘you’re not worth it to us, we’re not giving you this money.’”
This past summer, now-chair of the Board of Commissioners Paul Higdon temporarily stalled the library’s funding request due to the Pride Month LGBT display, sparking a wave of public comment and attention on the library’s materials.
Wallace said they gave out staff bonuses and procured a 5.5% increase in funding this fiscal year but said she didn’t want to give permanent raises unless they would be sustained in future years.
“Our staff deserves to be paid a living wage, they work hard,” Wallace said.
The library is a nonprofit entity, so county government funding comes in one lump sum and the county can’t direct it to one specific purpose.
Wallace encouraged the board members to start more in-depth conversations with the county administration to “show their value.” Wallace said it’s important to have someone on the Board of Commissioners who understands the role and needs of the library.
There’s an inter-local agreement with the three regional libraries to fund the libraries, Wallace told the board, preventing a full funding cut.
“They’d be in breach of contract if they decided to withdraw their funding, and state funding would decrease as well, and not just in Macon County, but in Swain and Jackson counties,” Wallace said, adding that if funding is cut, the library will become “ineffective.” Already, the Macon County Public Library has gone from being open 60 hours to 50 hours a week.
In other notes from the meeting, the library unexpectedly received a $106,000 digital inclusion literacy grant. Wallace said the library didn’t seek out the grant but said they received it because of the county’s poverty level and lack of broadband options.
With the funds, the library will hire a digital navigator to provide training on digital literacy, targeted at families and elderly people. A Spanish translator is also sought for the same purpose.
The Hudson Library in Highlands now has a generator to keep the building open when the power goes out. Wallace also reported all the Fontana Regional libraries are downsizing the number of public computers due to the lack of need because more people are bringing their own devices and connecting to the Wi-Fi.