Concerned citizens formed a line in front of the Columbia County Library on Saturday morning to protest against library guidelines, which went into effect in early September. Under these guidelines, around 40 books from the young adult section have been re-shelved to the adult section.
“We have the right to decide what books are appropriate for our family,” said Marlena Bergeron, a former member of the library’s advisory board.
“Today, it’s about moving certain books. Tomorrow, it will be about moving an entire author. The next day, it will be about not letting certain people in the library,” Bergeron said.
This demonstration comes just days before a Regional Library Board Meeting, which is expected to bring in a number of community members who will speak out both for and against these guidelines.
Karin Parham, one of the demonstration organizers and the brain behind The Columbia County Observer, said that the guidelines were not adequately communicated to the public until recently.
“The public isn’t aware. So part of this is spreading awareness,” she said.
Throughout the morning, the protest seemed to garner mostly positive reactions, with several passersby in cars stopping to express their solidarity or to honk their horns in support.
“We’re getting a lot of positive interactions from people passing by and giving us thumbs up…people are stopping by to look, so far it’s going very well,” said Tiffany Looman, a protestor.
Themes under scrutiny
The guidelines list varying levels of violence, sexual content and profanity as reasons why a book might be moved to another shelf.
Some parents believe books that highlight LGBTQ+ characters have been targeted.
Looman, who is also the mother of a child who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community, is one of these.
“Representation matters, you know,” she said. “It’s not another parent’s place to tell a parent what their child can read or not. If you don’t agree with it, then pass the book by and read something else.”
Looman mentioned the 1930s Nazi book burnings in Germany and Austria, expressing that she’d like to avoid going backward in time.
“I hope we’re not repeating history.” she added. “But I want to scream – loud – that that shouldn’t be happening.”
One protestor emphasized that it could be counterintuitive to bring books under fire for sexual content or information, due to accurate sex education contributing to the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.
“Studies have shown that people who are educated on sex, especially teens, don’t get pregnant as much,” said protestor, John Olufs
“Knowledge is power,” Olufs added. “And taking away our knowledge, it’s kind of taking away our own power.”
More information
Several protest signs used on Saturday featured QR codes leading to a website with more information on the issue and ways to take action against the proposed guidelines. This website includes links to a petition and contact information for board members.
Upcoming meetings
A Columbia County Advisory Board Meeting will be held next week on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at noon.
This will follow immediately after a Regional Library Board Meeting at 11 am.
Both of these meetings will take place in the classrooms B and C of the Hardin Auditorium at Evans Library, 7022 Evans Town Center Blvd.
