Rural Iowa library closed for a month after third librarian in two years resigns over local pushback to 'liberal' books

The Vinton Public Library in Vinton, Iowa (Library of Congress photo)

The Vinton Public Libary in Vinton, Iowa, is reopening today for limited hours after being closed for a month following the resignation of the library's third director in two years. The librarians resigned after locals in the town of 5,000 objected to the library's hiring of LGBTQ employees and display of books that featured LGBTQ themes and political figures such as Jill Biden and Kamala Harris, Samantha Hernandez reports for the Des Moines Register.

It's an extreme example of what's happening in libraries all over the country, as locals push back against a perceived liberal bias in content. "As highly visible and politicized book bans have exploded across the country, librarians — accustomed to being seen as dedicated public servants in their communities — have found themselves on the front lines of an acrimonious culture war, with their careers and their personal reputations at risk," Elizabeth Harris and Alexandra Alter report for The New York Times. "They have been labeled pedophiles on social media, called out by local politicians and reported to law enforcement officials. Some librarians have quit after being harassed online. Others have been fired for refusing to remove books from circulation."

Vinton in Benson County
(Wikipedia map)

Interim director Colton Neeley was the latest to resign at the Vinton library. Neeley, who is openly gay, said many locals objected when he was hired two years ago as the children's librarian. He considered applying for the permanent director's position but was told he didn't have enough experience, even though he was serving as the interim director, Hernandez reports. Before that, permanent director Renee Greenlee resigned in June after only six months on the job. She had been hired to replace permanent director Janette McMahon, who lasted only a year herself.

McMahon, now the librarian in another small town in Iowa, said locals informally complained to her that the book selection was biased against conservatives, and repeatedly checked out the controversial books and refused to return them. She recently spoke with Ayesha Rascoe of NPR about how she decides on which books to stock at the library, and denied any sort of political agenda. But, "like in a lot of small towns, gossip and conjecture and the side conversations just kind of take over. And at that point, you become unable to really do your job well," McMahon said. "You know, you think small-town libraries - oh, they don't get the controversy of New York or the big cities. Well, actually, I think the controversies, it's in small towns, I think, even worse simply because you know everyone in small towns. And change is very hard. And when change comes, these things happen."

The Vinton library board is reviewing applications for a new librarian. They're hoping to find someone who can communicate effectively with locals to explain why certain books are in the library's collection, board director Jimmy Kelly told KCCI 8 News in Des Moines. And, Kelly said obliquely, the interview process will include a warning about local turbulence: "We also want to get them to understand the situations and circumstances they might be dealing with."