Community members addressed the decision of Columbia County to withdraw from the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System (GCHRLS) during the Columbia County Library Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday, May 13.
This decision was made during the Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting on May 6 in which a unanimous vote determined that the library will become a single county region board. The libraries in Columbia County are the Harlem Library, Grovetown Library and main branch in Evans. All three will be part of the new system.
The GCHRLS is currently made up of eight libraries from counties throughout the state, including Columbia, Warren, Grovetown, Harlem, Burke, Midville, Sardis and Lincoln.
“The effect of this decision to withdraw will be to transition this board of advisors to become a governing board of trustees who will be tasked to provide strategic direction and oversight to ensure [the] Columbia County Library meets their mission to represent and serve the community’s needs, acting as advocates for the library’s users, promoting awareness and support for library services and to commit to working with people, leading meetings and communicating effectively,” said board chairman David Davis in a statement.
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A new constitution and subsequent bylaws will be authored for the Columbia County Library as a part of this change.
The library will be officially separate from the regional system on Jan. 1, 2026 and will still receive state funding and state library resources including the PINES catalogue system.
Longtime Columbia County resident Kay Gross referenced during public participation a quote from County Manager Scott Johnson during the May 6 commissioners meeting during which the change was voted for.
During that meeting, Johnson stated that the withdrawal of the library from the regional library system will allow the library to “have a little bit greater autonomy to address the unique needs of our citizens in Columbia County.”
“I wonder what costs will be involved in making this change?” Gross said. “And I also wonder, what needs are so unique to Columbia County, needs that the citizens of Burke, Lincoln and Warren do not share?”
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A small protest held on Saturday was originally planned to fight back against rumors that the library was pulling out of the entire state library system.
These claims were refuted during the commissioners meeting; however, a crowd still showed up to wave signs on Saturday, rallying in general against the library’s reshelving guidelines.
A new face on the board
The May 13 meeting was also significant in that it was the first for newly appointed library board member Austin Rhodes.
Rhodes is the host of the Austin Rhodes Show which airs on WGAC.
During the May 13 meeting, Rhodes responded to the months-long back-and-forth conversation around the reshelving guidelines.
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“We have access to every good idea in the sun in this library. We also have access to a lot of bad ideas,” he said. “And our ability as adult human beings to pick and choose what we find appropriate is very, very important to me. Our children are also individuals that need to be protected.
I appreciate the opportunity to continue to protect the public’s access to good ideas and bad ideas, and everyone’s right to enjoy their freedoms as they personally see fit without infringing on the rights of others,” he added.
The next library board meeting will be held June 10 at the Columbia County Library in the Classrooms B&C of the Hardin Auditorium.
