Hadden-Marsh: I think it has to do with a nationwide movement to ban books and to install conservative right wing people on school boards and library boards. This whole thing started off a small group of people from the western end of the county who were complaining about a series of Japanese manga books that were in the Silt library and they said were in easy reach of children.
I don't know if your listeners know what Japanese manga is, but it's a graphic novel approach to storytelling and some of it includes sexually explicit drawings, but it's considered a cultural art form and it does not fit into U.S. child pornography law definitions mainly because there are no photos of children or likenesses of real children. Nonetheless, this group of people, some of whom are part of the Moms for America movement, kept pressuring the Garfield County commissioners to do something about these books. They would show up at almost every single Garfield County Commissioner meeting and complain about the books. And then they went after the library board.
"I'm here in behalf of Garfield County residents who have signed a petition in regards to what we consider pornographic books in our library."
HM: And so they pushed and pushed and pushed until the Garfield County Commissioners started agreeing with them.
"Many of those books that I have seen. I don't need to read them and in our entirety, you look at it, you know, it's garbage. You know, it's filth, doesn't take anybody with any genius mind, doesn't take that to figure that out. That being said, what I would advise you is to continue your education of the residents of Garfield County as to what is happening within the library system."
HM: And so that's when the resolutions came to disapprove of the manga books in the library, and then finally to take over the appointments. At some point last spring, the Garfield County Library Board approved the appointment of a woman who lives in Rifle and works for the Western Colorado Alliance. She's a community organizer for Western Colorado Alliance out of Grant Junction. And the board of county commissioners denied her appointment because they said she worked for an anti oil and gas association and that her appointment would not be for the good of Garfield County.
Conran: So we heard there from Mike Sampson, he's one of the Garfield County Commissioners. He was speaking there at a county commissioner meeting in sympathy with the folks from the community complaining about the books. Earlier, we heard from one of those people that was Trish O'Grady from Rifle, one of the residents who have been complaining about these books at the Garfield County Library. Well, you've also spoken with Jamie LaRue who is the executive director of the Garfield County Public Library District. And interestingly, Amy, he wrote a book called on censorship. A public librarian examines cancel culture in the US. And he's been a staunch opponent of efforts around censorship.
"You don't have to like everything you see in a library. So it's ok to come in and say you really disagree with something and advocate for, you know, whatever you want. But my sure thing about this one is that the libraries don't exist to restrict access. We exist to expand access."
C: Is there anybody else speaking about this? Are there folks in the community who are speaking in favor of the library board and against the efforts to remove books?
HM: There is a group, a citizens group that has popped up called Protect Our Garfield County libraries, Protect our GCO Libraries and they popped up. Oh, I don't know if it was last spring or summer. I think it was last spring before Garfield County Commissioners interviewed more candidates for the library board. They have a Facebook page and they also have a website and they have been really countering what the conservatives in Rifle are saying and they've been supporting the library, I don't think with money, but they've been supporting them and supporting the fact that, the library doesn't want to censor people the library stands for the first amendment. They've been supporting the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and that sort of thing.
C: Well, here's Ellen Dole who's a member of Protect our Garco Libraries addressing the county commissioners during the recent meeting that happened on November 5th.
"It's my opinion that most people in Garfield County support the freedom to access information. Protect our Garfield County Libraries believe the library ward trustees should be free from political ideology and be allowed to continue to fully support the Library Association's Library Bill of Rights.'
C: So it seems, Amy like the next thing that's going to happen is on December 5th when the commissioners are planning on interviewing candidates for all three trustee positions and then they're planning on appointing the trustees in early December. Now this is all, despite the fact that the library board has already reappointed two of the three library trustees. So is there going to be anything happening before December 5th?
HM: One of the big things, Maeve that's happening on November 21st is a public meeting between the library board, and that I don't know exactly if it's gonna be the whole board or just Jamie LaRue or, and, and the president of the library board and the county commissioners concerning an intergovernmental agreement that would allow the commissioners to, you know, go ahead with their desire to take over the library board appointments and other things. And it's a public meeting I'm not sure if there will be, you know, a specific time set aside for public comment or what, but it is public meeting.
C: Amy Hadden Marsh is a reporter at KDNK and has been covering what's been happening at the Garfield County Libraries. Amy, thank you so much for taking time to talk to me today.
HM: Well, thank you, Maeve. I really appreciate it.
C: It's been a pleasure. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio. I'm Maeve Conran.
