FAIRHOPE — The Fairhope City Council meeting Monday was packed with library supporters after the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) paused funding last week.
APLS chairman John Wahl said the library changed its policies to align with new guidelines but did not follow those policies. Wahl said funding will resume as soon as the library is in compliance.
Over 130 residents came to speak in favor of the library Monday night.
Mayor Sherry Sullivan addressed the issue at the beginning of the meeting. She said the library receives $42,000 annually from the state and has already received half this year. She said there is no concern about the library closing.
"The city provides, I think, close to $900,000 in funding to the library," Sullivan said. "We also funded a capital campaign for about $300,000 in the capital campaign. We have no desire to cut any of that funding, and again, there was only a portion of that funding from the state that is only paused right now, and we think we can get that reinstated pretty quickly."
Sullivan and other council members said they did not intend to remove funding from the Fairhope Public Library.
"I just want to reassure anybody who's here there's not an appetite by the council, that I'm aware of, to defund the library," Sullivan added.
Read Freely Baldwin County chapter founder Elizabeth Williams said her group raised $35,000 in four days for the library to set off any funding issues with the state.
"So, our wonderful library can continue to operate without being beholden to censors," Williams said. "The world is watching Little Fairhope right now, and I am so proud of our little library that could."
Many voiced concerns about the right to due process. They do not believe funding should have been paused until a full investigation into materials was complete. Councilman Jack Burrell said it is concerning that a resident with Moms for Liberty can present material and that a decision can be made without the library getting a notification and without the item being on the APLS board's agenda ahead of the meeting.
"I don't like the fact that someone, just anybody, can go to Montgomery and make some comments and cause a pause in our funding without further investigation," Burrell said. "I am very pleased that they're going to come and visit the library, but I'm sorry, I do take exception to that fact. That's not America."
"I mean, America allows due process," Burrell continued. "Not trying to pick a fight with APLS but I'm going to send a message that I don't think that's okay."
Sullivan said the city and the library are working together to get clarification from the APLS on new guidelines and policies.
Councilman Jimmy Conyers, the library liaison, said five books have been moved from the teen section to the adult section and is working to resolve the issue.
"The policies have all been approved by the APLS, and so the only issue in question was about the books' placement," Conyers said. "I know five books have been moved from the teen section to the adult section, so really, at this point, my understanding is we're talking about a couple of books that people have issues with where they're placed."
Despite multiple meetings where concerned citizens have spoken about inappropriate material in the juvenile sections and the library director publicly stating that the board "loosened language" and took a "middle-of-the-road" approach to the new policies, Councilman Jay Robinson said he does not believe the library has been "openly defiant about the rules."
"My understanding from the library is that they have been in, they believe they are in compliance with the rules that were put in place by them ultimately to mirror what's imposed by the state," Robinson said. "There is some question as to whether or not that's true or not, and so Mr. Wahl with the Alabama Public Library Service is going to come down and just look into that."
Some members of the public spoke against Moms for Liberty, which has asked for inappropriate materials to be moved to the adult section. Parents said the sexual content provided in the juvenile sections of the library is important for education about abuse and consent. Although parents have the option to allow their children to check out books from any section of the library, some parents said the new guidelines from the APLS exhibited government overreach.
Over 100 Fairhope residents signed a letter to the APLS rejecting the new guidelines. Fairhope resident James Wright said the group also went out of their way to get the new juvenile cards, allowing them to check out books from all library sections.
Councilman Corey Martin said he believes the two parties will come to an understanding sooner than people think.
"I think that we can come to some type of middle ground and make the adjustments that we need to make," Martin said. "If we're not following the law, we will follow the law or the statutes that have been created for this state."
No one at the meeting spoke on behalf of Moms for Liberty or against inappropriate materials in the children and teen sections.
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