A Virginia library that faced the threat of being shut down last year over its book offerings that involve gay, lesbian and transgender characters is once again at the center of controversy.
After a contentious public hearing Wednesday night, the Warren County Board of Supervisors has voted to place a governing body over the Samuels Public Library in Front Royal, Virginia.
The supervisors voted 4-1 to install a public library board of directors; Chair Cheryl Cullers was the only “no” vote.
That decision stirred some residents who see the move as a way to give the conservative supervisors more leverage over Samuels, which is currently controlled by an independent board run by a nonprofit organization called the Samuels Family Foundation.
The foundation has routinely challenged efforts by Warren County to control its operation.
The vote comes as the library faced the threat of being shut down in 2023 over a dispute about books that involve LGBTQ characters.
The county’s board of supervisors voted in June 2023 to withhold 75% of its appropriation to the library unless its board revises its bylaws to give the county more of a say in its governance.
But supervisors capitulated on that after public support to keep the library board intact.
With Tuesday’s vote changing over control, some residents feel the library is once again being challenged.
Dozens of Warren County residents met in a public hearing Tuesday night to discuss their concerns about the matter.
Some expressed worry the library is spending too much public money for its operation.
“The reason that the libraries in Culpeper and Hanley are better managed is that their governing boards are appointed by elected officials accountable to taxpayers,” said Front Royal resident John Lundberg, who compared the operating expenses of Samuels to other nearby public libraries.
But others attending the meeting said they were afraid the conservative supervisors would install conservative, religious members on the library board who would eliminate books about LGBTQ+ and other transgender topics.
“I am passionate about library services, and I was concerned for the LGBTQ+ community here,” Joanna Artone, of Chantilly, said. “Samuels Public Library is not broken. Samuels Public Library is not broken.”
At least one other resident, Dale Carpenter of Front Royal, was concerned about existing materials in the library.
“Our kids are being sexualized and exposed to materials that, in my opinion, are totally inappropriate,” Carpenter said.
Still others, such as Cheryl Angless, said religion exercises too much influence as it is.
“I’ve not seen anything tear our community apart like the f—— Catholic Church in our area,” Angless said. “There’s a bigger population here than this Catholic community,” she said, telling supervisors their community is diverse and in need of strong leadership.
Those who support keeping the Samuels Public Library governing structure the way it is threaten court action to overturn the board of supervisors’ ruling.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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