At noon on a Tuesday, there’s about 50 people gathered outside the Garfield County administration building in downtown Glenwood Springs — most of them wearing the color red.
That’s to show that they’re well-read — thanks to the Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD).
“Oh, they are, I think, the heart and soul of a community,” said Carole O’Brien about the library. “It's one place where anybody, regardless of what they look like, how much money they make, who they are, can come in freely, access information.”
She’s a New Castle resident who helped organize the rally. O’Brien and like-minded library patrons gathered before the April 30 meeting where the Garfield County commissioners will interview candidates for the library’s board of trustees.
Earlier this year, the commissioners decided to take over the appointment process to the all-volunteer board, which governs the library district. They make decisions about the budget, hiring the library district’s director, maintaining buildings, and setting goals, and, of course, make policies that uphold the mission of the libraries: free access to information for all.
GCPLD’s director, Jamie LaRue was at the Tuesday rally. He said it hasn’t always been the commissioners making these decisions.
“Since the founding of the Library district in 2008, the library board has always chosen its own people,” he said. “And it's never been a Partisan issue. It's never been a political issue. And the commissioners have suddenly made it one.”
As Commissioner John Martin explained it during the April 30 interviews, they didn’t so much as change the process as they did take a more hands-on approach, such as a more formal interview process.
“And we felt that there needed to be more applicants so we could get a more well-rounded applicant base to make our choice,” he said. “And that's all we did.”
But LaRue’s misgivings were shared by O’Brien and the other folks at the rally.
“By taking this over in the way they have, it's been a slap in the face to the library board, in my opinion,” O’Brien said. “It's been a slap in the face to the community that has supported this library for so many years.”
That’s because Garfield County libraries have become a flashpoint in a culture war regarding book banning
County commissioners became interested in the topic after some concerned citizens petitioned the library district last year, asking it to restrict children’s access to certain books deemed inappropriate, or remove them from shelves altogether.
This is something all board candidates must now address during their interviews.
Commissioner Tom Jankovsky proposed the same question to each candidate during the interview process, comparing mature books to policies protecting children from material online.
“Do you believe there should be the same reasonable policies for children’s access to books that are designated ‘for mature audiences only’?” he asked.
The library board refused to change its policies, which oppose censorship and restricting access, even for minors. But the county commissioners were sympathetic to the petitioners.
In a Nov. 7 meeting, Commissioner Mike Samson discussed the books at the heart of the petition: a pair of Japanese manga graphic novels that were not shelved in the children’s section.
“I think those types of books are degrading, are filthy, are disgusting,” he said. “I will not read them. I have seen pictures. I know what filthy, degrading, and disgusting is… I know that.”
Hannah Arauza, who is in the current pool of candidates, applied to be on the board last year and had unanimous approval from current board members, but her appointment was rejected by county commissioners.
Her appointment process was dominated by the conversation about access to books. She said she wouldn’t change the board’s policies.
During an Oct. 12 meeting, Arauza told commissioners that she felt that there didn’t need to be any changes to the way the library shelved books, with the children’s section separate from other shelves, and that it was her responsibility as a mom to keep an eye on what her children read.
During her interview process, she was asked:
“So you think children should have access to pornography in the library,” Jankovksy said.
“I don’t think that’s the case, I think parents should watch their children while they’re in the library,” Arauza replied.
Back at the rally, Carole O’Brien said she’s hopeful that the commissioners will select someone who will uphold library policies fighting censorship and refusing to restrict access to, or ban books.
One person, she said, likely won’t make too much of a difference… “but if the commissioners retain control of the appointment process, I think that could have an impact on the vision and goals of the library,” she said.
GCPLD Director LaRue hopes that in the future, maybe with new county commissioners, they’ll hand that process back over to the board.
“I think that's where it belongs, I really do,” LaRue said.
And he is thankful for the community members who come out to meetings to support their public institutions — as was O’Brien.
“There are people here who are educators who are moms, dads, people who care about the quality of life in our community,” she said.
The county commissioners will deliberate and make their decision about the newest board member on May 6th.
They will accept a recommendation from the library board, but will not allow public comment on the appointment.
There will be two more seats open by the end of 2024.
