The discussion around the library’s reshelving guidelines continued during the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library Board meeting on June 3. These guidelines have produced a running debate between those who believe the guidelines promote censorship and others who believe they promote the protection of youth from potentially harmful content.
Around 40 books have been moved to other sections since the passing of the guidelines, including “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green and “Forever” by Judy Blume, all of which have been transferred to adult shelves.
For months, citizens opposed to these guidelines have asked board members to rescind them.
Following an opportunity for the public to share their opinions, the Tuesday morning meeting ended with an executive session in which the board discussed the reshelving guidelines. No decision or vote was made following this executive session.
This meeting was also the first after the Columbia County Board of Commissioners decision to withdraw from the Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System, a change that will be effective Jan. 1, 2026.
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‘Dangerous ideological influences’
Anna Muza, 2nd vice chair of the Columbia County Republican Party, used her speaking opportunity to share a post from X written by Maia Poet, a 25-year-old who used the online platform to share her experience with coming out as transgender and later detransitioning, a situation she said we brought on “by dangerous ideological influences in my school library.”
Poet claimed in her video post that she was exposed to books that pushed transition.
“Back then, the books were merely ideological, but today, under the guise of inclusivity, children are being given sexually explicit materials disguised as queer representation,” said Poet, who said she was exposed to and influenced by these materials from 2012-2017.
Poet did not provide titles of specific books that affected her in this post.
“I just thought, I thought it was very poignant, and maybe something to ponder,” said Muza about the post.
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Porn in the library?
Arguments have persisted as to whether sexual content in library books should be considered pornographic content. Kaitlin Giddens chose to discuss this topic during public participation.
“Merely mentioning sex does not mean porn,” said Giddens. “They simply do not go hand in hand.”
“Some teenagers want to read books that validate their experiences, and that gives them hope and comfort in their loneliness. Because many of our teens do not find themselves in the pages of what is considered ‘the norm,’” she continued. “We should be letting these teenagers know that they are loved and cared about, and that they are not alone.
She added that the availability of pornography to youth is already wide thanks to the prevalence of handheld technology.
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“Let’s be real here, every teenager in Columbia County has a cell phone now. They aren’t looking for porn in the library – not that they would find it – because they don’t have to. Parents are serving it to them on a silver platter in the form of an iPhone,” she said.
Another speaker opposed to the guidelines, Ayman Fadel, recommended a PBS Documentary focused on the origin of libraries in the United States and per Fadel, “how people had to struggle to establish them and transform them into institutions which embodied the values of democracy.”
“You know, this is amazing, what we’ve got here. I mean, the fact that we can come here, look at books, take books home,” he said. He urged the board members to “promote policies which strengthen” the library or otherwise to consider resigning from their positions.
Upcoming meetings
The next Greater Clarks Hill Regional Library System Board meeting will be held on Sept. 9 at 11 a.m.
The next Columbia County Library Advisory Board meeting will be held on June 10 at 11:45 a.m.
