At your library

 

PRL Trustees, Director Tom Shepley, right

The board of trustees of the Pamunkey Regional Library (PRL) met at the Goochland Branch on September 27. Thanks to an unfounded rumor about book banning posted on social media, the meeting room was filled with concerned citizens.

At the start of the meeting, Barbara Slone, one of Goochland’s PRL trustees, read the following statement:

It has come to the attention of several Board members that certain members of the public are concerned that this board is in the business of banning books. Not only is that false, but it has never been discussed as a part of official board business. The rumors circulating that this board has any intent to remove books from any Pamunkey Regional Library is completely untrue. Accusations of Hitler-like activities by this board have been overheard and are absurd and is a misguided attempt to rally forces to support an agenda of which the board has no participation whatsoever.

Comments made during “citizen time” indicated that those in attendance value PRL. Curiously, speakers on both sides of the “who decides which materials are appropriate and should be made accessible to children” issue seemed to agree that parents should have the final say in what their kids read.

A sampling of the remarks:

“No one shall interfere with my right to choose for my children, I know them better than you,” one person said. Another said that far left radicalism attempts to implement a woke agenda on children undermining parents’ rights.

Library professionals are best qualified to decide which materials are available at a library based on their training and sensitivity to prevailing community standards.

It is important for a library to maintain access to ideas with which you do not agree to educate and support freedom of thought.

Libraries must carefully evaluate materials and resist restricting the rights of others to access material for their own comfort.

Respect the rights of all parents as the final arbiter of what their children will read.

Public libraries in rural areas like Goochland are the only access for residents to books, the internet, and enrichment activities. Preserve unlimited access. If a book offends you, close it.

Some contended that sexually explicit materials should be “sequestered” from minors, especially very young children. This raises the question of who decides what is sexually explicit and the definition of a minor. Is a passage in the Diary of Ann Frank, which is not illustrated and would be read by “older” minors, the same as a brightly colored picture book filled with images of various combinations of body parts in the children’s section?

Go to the PRL website https://www.pamunkeylibrary.org/  and check on “new arrivals” to peruse the list of new materials.

The meeting agenda included updates on construction activities at some of PRL’s 10 branches. Possible withdrawal of King and Queen from PRL to establish its own library, and its impact on PRL was discussed.

Correction

The Board of Trustees voted to notify each board member that an ALA membership would be provided in their name. Prior to the vote, trustees were automatically enrolled in ALA membership without their knowledge or permission. Following the affirmative vote, each board member must be asked if they would like the ALA membership for themselves, paid for by PRL. It is not mandatory.

The trustees voted to continue the practice of providing each trustee with a membership in the American library Association (www.ala.org) rather than accessing the organization’s website to obtain information relevant to public libraries, rather than receiving it via magazine. There was no mention of cost, if any, of the individual memberships. PRL Director Tom Shepley said that the ALA is the oldest and largest professional association for libraries and does not have a counterpart.

Some trustees questioned positions of the ALA, while others contended that the ALA magazine includes a lot of useful information and that others should not be “scared away” by things they do not agree with.

Shepley said that a planned five percent merit increase for PRL employees and an anticipated eight percent increase in health insurance costs will have an impact on the FY25 budget.

PRL is a is a public library system consortium, comprised of King William, King and Queen, Goochland, and Hanover Counties. Hanover provides 70 percent of the PRL funding and handles its financial matters. Goochland has one branch in Courthouse Village. The Rockville library, also a PRL facility, in Hanover County, may be closer to residents of eastern Goochland. It is at the end of Rockville Road. If you take that route, notice that the road’s narrow, winding character makes it unsuitable for development without significant road improvements.

Library cards are free to all residents of Goochland and entitle cardholders to reciprocity with neighboring library systems. In addition to books, PRL provides ebooks, audio books, and other materials and services, including interlibrary loan, to its patrons. If you do not have one, get your Pamunkey Library card today!