Analysis: Public Library Historic Place for All Ideas

News Analysis By Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Tuesday’s Anderson County Council meeting citizens were unable to get into a meeting since a 2016 meeting which featured a change to an animal ordinance.

Almost all of the 170 seats in the historic courthouse were filled, with most of those in attendance keen on being heard concerning the council's proposal to add two members to the Anderson County Library Board. (In contrast, fewer than five citizens attended council discussions on the past fiscal year budget.)

Given the recent firestorm in public libraries across the state, it was not much of a surprise.

Most council members who support the move steadfastly maintain the decision was made following a similar move to expand the county’s planning and development board to allow more citizen representation.

Some also said the current state law which allows them to appoint library board members to a four-year term without giving them the power to remove appointees is of concern, especially given that council is elected to two-year terms.

The lone dissenting voice, Anderson County Councilman Glenn Davis, worries the move could be a step in the wrong direction.

“Where does it stop…?” Davis asked the council at Tuesday’s meeting.

It’s a fair question. The current county council, which though elected on a partisan ticket, has steered clear of the state and national political wrangling, and rightly so. County government has little need to weigh in on issues in which they have no authority.

Let’s hope this pattern continues after the third reading vote to expand the library board on March 5. At that point, the council will open the application process to choose two-at large seats for that board.

It is also worth noting that the majority of current council members, who would identify themselves as conservatives, appointed members to the current library board. Four new members of that board were appointed since August of 2023. No council members have publicly suggested they made a mistake in their appointments of any of the seven board members (one chosen by each district).

So, while the timing of expanding the library board seems a little suspicious, I am willing to give the current council the benefit of the doubt, because they have earned it. But they now face a new test that could kick off an unintended ripple that will have an impact far beyond a couple of new library board seats.

In South Carolina public library boards serve as the governing bodies for all public libraries within the state (there’s even a manual for board members). They are charged with setting library policies, ensuring the library is in compliance with state regulations; approve the library budget; hire, evaluate and potentially fire library directors; represent the library’s needs to local government and the community; strategic planning for the library; and approve guidelines and review policies for selecting library materials and resources.

It is this final responsibility that has garnered the most community concern, mostly concerning the children’s library selections.

Many of the suggestions by citizens favoring two at-large library board members, added they wanted two “conservative” board members added. They charged that the library currently has inappropriate selections in the children’s section, which they feared would create negative influences on children.

Hard not to wonder if many who spoke negatively about the local public library are familiar with the policies concerning children already in place.

The policy currently requires supervision of children age 11 and under should by a parent, guardian or caregiver. Children in this age group are not allowed to wander any section of the library with adult supervision.

This age group is the target audience of the children’s library, and concerns that children will be exposed to anything a parent does not deem appropriate for their child is most unlikely.

Phrases and words among those who spoke negatively about the Anderson County Library Tuesday night include: “inappropriate,” “community standards,” “grooming,” “social engineering,” and “catering to a tiny minority.”

None of these rings true for the current children’s section, which does not allow children with adult supervision. Parents concerned about books which they dislike can simply guide their children to other choices.

Parents are the ultimate arbiter in choosing which materials are best for their children. They are not an important voice in telling other parents what materials are most appropriate for their children.

What if a conservative Jewish parent challenged books on Christianity for fear it would influence their children?

What if a parent who favored spanking of children asked all books which oppose that form of punishment be banned?

You get the idea. That’s why public libraries are charged with protecting the ideas of all Americans, not a sectarian few.

Can books be powerful in their influence? Certainly, which is why some younger readers need the engagement of parents who can answer questions based on their own set of personal convictions.

Public libraries were founded as a quintessential part of how Americans learn and engage with local communities. Since their founding, public libraries have received broad and consistent popular support for their democratic missions and services. The ability to access free information has become a core ideal of what it means to be an American citizen, despite periods of historic inequality.

As one who has proudly carried a library card for more than six decades, it is important to me that treading lightly when trying to restrict their offerings remains a paramount concern.

In the 1960s there were attempts to ban “Tarzan” because there was no evidence he was married to Jane. Other examples of books challenged, and sometimes banned from libraries, include Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax,” E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web,” Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach,” and – in an admitted extreme example – the “American Heritage” and “Merriam-Webster” dictionaries.

Parents who dislike or disapprove of these or other books, are offered an opportunity to educate their children on why they find some materials inappropriate. But to set an example of banning or hiding books which don’t meet their personal standards potentially sends the message that ideas are to be feared, not dissected and understood.

Finally, it is easy to forget how many of our family, friends and neighbors in Anderson County are not in a position to buy books for their children. To suggest otherwise is to ignore statistical data.

That’s why all citizens should keep an eye on, or even join, the applicants for the two new at-large seats to the library board. It offers a good way to invest in the future of our community.

The board meets in January, March, May, July, September, and November on the second Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the Anderson Main Library.