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"Concerned" (AI generated image)
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By Gretchen Garrity
When separate groups cannot come together to work out differences in
policy over public matters, it often devolves into name-calling,
smears, even outright untruths being hurled around. Such is the case
with the situation at the Christian County Library. An anonymous
blogger has begun writing polemical posts that mischaracterize events
and personally attack board members. The links are being shared on social media.
BACKGROUND
Over two years ago,
citizens began to address the issue of age-inappropriate and sexually
explicit books in the library. They exposed the kinds of books that
were accessible to minors, spoke about the serious issues that can
occur from exposure to those books, and asked the library board of
trustees to ameliorate the problem.
They were met with
resistance by the board, staff and a small group of citizens that
includes activists, a college professor, and even a member of the
press. In fact, as time went on it became apparent that the board and
staff had a very different idea of the issues raised. They believed
in the theory that “freedom of speech” meant minor children have
a right to access any book in the library regardless of content. This
is right in line with the ALA’s “Library
Bill of Rights” and its “freedom
to read,” both positions of the extreme Left.
The reasons behind
this position have been well documented in many places. Dan
Kleinman of Safe Libraries is a great place to get up to speed.
And HERE
is a recent article that details some of the materials in the CCL.
Of course U-turn in Education is spreading the manure around, too.
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MSU Prof. Dudash-Buskirk's far-left group weighs in
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The community asked
for compromises such as labeling books in the children’s and teen’s
sections of the library; they asked for stickers; they asked for
inappropriate books to be relocated. Overwhelmingly, challenges to
books were unsuccessful based on “expert” reviews, publisher
recommendations, and awards—from the very groups that stand to
benefit from sales of these books to libraries.
When citizens
realized the library district was unresponsive to their concerns,
they approached the county commission for recourse. Several town
halls were organized, in which a large majority of citizens
sought for a resolution that would protect children from harm as well
as ensure the rights of adults to access the books in question. Because the county
commissioners are legally
tasked to appoint the library district’s board of trustees,
they took a more active role beginning in 2023-24, vetting candidates before
appointing three new members of the board. Previous practice had been to simply take the board of trustee's recommendations for new appointees.
The new members moved
quickly to begin repairing trust with the community. Previous Board
President Allyson Tuckness, who had a full year of contentiousness
with the public (example HERE),
was voted out as president when a new slate of officers was proposed
and voted upon (see HERE).
Read HERE
for an explanation that shows officer elections not only happen in
December but at other times of the year as needed, both in the past
and present. State statute mandates that board of trustee vacancies
be filled in July, so the new board amended their bylaws to read that
officer elections will be conducted in July but also confirms elections can be held any
time of the year as needed.
LAWSUIT
In a shocking move
that brings attorney ethics into question, the library district’s attorney at the time,
Harry Styron, sued a majority of the board members on behalf of the Library District and
Board Secretary Janis
Hagen, asking the court for a temporary restraining order to prevent
the new configuration of board officers, as well as contending that
the board had broken the Sunshine Law and its own bylaws by electing
officers (and not just a vice president) in August. Again, see the
explanation above.
Mr. Styron had
been paid by the library
district since 2017. In
his duties he would have overseen annual bylaw reviews
and officer elections happening in
July, versus
the elections he insisted in the lawsuit could
only happen in December. What was he doing, if not serving to protect
the District that employed him?
Styron’s TRO was not granted. Two subsequent hearings have
concerned mostly procedural moves, and the case has yet to be heard
on its merits. Former board member Tuckness abruptly resigned soon after the case was filed and Hagen's position as board secretary was never changed.
In the meantime, the
new board has revised a bylaw that had previously removed some of the board's
authority. See HERE.
This may be part of the problem in the library. The American Library
Association is an extreme Leftist organization that seeks to impose
socialist and even Marxist control through organizing local
libraries. Because the CCL has followed closely the policy statements
and ideology of the ALA and its state chapter, the MLA, power had
been siphoned from the publicly-appointed board and given to the
bureaucracy. This is very similar to what has happened on the state
and federal level with the administrative state and NGOs like the ALA/MLA.
The ALA also offers training, accreditation, and materials to library
staff. Their insistence on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies is another form of indoctrination, one that federal and
state governments are now quickly dismantling.
MISSION CREEP
Under the ALA,
libraries have become not so much what they traditionally meant to a
community, but more a “resource” offering anything from fishing
tackle to mobile hot spots you can actually take home. Shot clinics are
offered, paying your utility bills at the library, makeup classes,
and many other activities that have little to do with reading and
literacy are all advertised.
In the corporate
world, this is called “mission creep.”
In the last four years, the Christian County Library District has
grown, with additional buildings, possible plans for a fifth branch,
as well as a proposed remodeling of the Nixa branch. The library district
currently has sixty employees.
Regarding the hiring
of a new executive director, the “Concerned” individual who wrote the recent tirades, said that board members had suggested a salary raise
of “over 42 percent.” This is wildly inaccurate (so much for U-turn's verification). In a previous
meeting the board had suggested raising the salary of the executive
director and asked the staff for bench marking (checking salaries
against similar positions elsewhere). This was done and presented to
the board, and it actually shows that the previous director was under
paid.
It was at this point
that the staff began to suggest there was a funding problem. You can
read about it HERE,
but this is the relevant information:
“Budgeting is another very important
aspect of running a $4 million operation. It came out at the last
meeting that the library has a zero dollar budget, which means they
spend every cent they take in. According to the News-Leader, “...in
the past two years there have been no surplus, or carryover, funds.”
And
just to let readers know, the budget was not changed when the pay
scale for the executive director was raised by $1 per hour. This
means that if a new executive director is hired at the top end of the
pay range, it would be about a $2,000 difference over 12 months.
Let’s
get back to the lack of surplus or carryover—the zero dollar
budget. Mary Miller, the director of Finance and Business Operations,
admitted at the January 31 meeting that there is a bond payment of
$709,511 coming due in 2028. Go to page 6 of the Board Packet HERE.”
The
board is planning to take a closer look at the budgeting--and this has
apparently aroused the ire of the unnamed blogger and others. State statute notes, “The
librarian, for and on behalf of the board, shall keep or cause to be
kept financial records and accounts according to generally accepted
accounting standards, and shall furnish to the board or any member thereof the financial
records and accounts, or summaries thereof, that the board or any
member thereof may request.” (182.075)
The “Concerned”
polemicist has noted that the library district had to pay
fees for late bills. A simple Who, What, When, Where, Why and
How would no doubt explain the apparent $250 that has caused such
scandal. But that is not what the anonymous blogger
would want, one suspects.
The blogger also
makes much of the legal expenses incurred by the library district
since its own attorney and one board member sued, thereby
necessitating the majority board members to secure legal representation to
defend themselves. Hopefully the legal case will be
resolved soon.
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Nixa branch manager and former trustee push "Concerned"
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The current Nixa branch manager and former trustee who push these kinds of anonymous smear tactics
discredit themselves, their profession, and their cause. It won’t
stop anyone from working to protect children who visit the library.