Some in rural N.C. county wanted out of regional library; Pride Month book display apparently prompted debate

The Yancey County Library in Burnsville, N.C. 
(Photo by Sarah Melotte, The Daily Yonder)

In 2013, Tim Mandell of The Rural Blog wrote, "The public library remains one constant that has something for everybody." But in recent years, which books are showcased or shelved in libraries has become contentious. "Commissioners in rural Yancey County, North Carolina, considered withdrawing their library from the regional system amidst public debate about a Pride Month book display," reports Sarah Melotte of The Daily Yonder. "The debate about withdrawing from the regional system reveals how political divisions can threaten public services in rural communities that need them the most."

"The high elevation usually keeps things cool in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina," Melotte writes. "But temperatures were sweltering by mountain standards on July 10, when hundreds of people gathered in a hot courtroom to show support for their regional library system" at a Yancey County commission meeting. During the public comment period, "Franklin Oldham told the commissioners, 'I am a white, Christian, heterosexual, American war veteran. I peace-kept in Kosovo in 2002. I fought in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. And I am a proud ally of the LGBTQ community.' Fifteen other residents shared their thoughts during the comment period, and all except four echoed Oldham's sentiment about supporting their queer neighbors and the regional system."

Yancey County's library debate began in June when the commission's chair moved to give the county manager authority to take over the library. The motion was tabled, and "backlash ensued," Melotte writes. "Patrons suspected that the motion to consider withdrawal came because someone complained about a Pride Month book display in the library. . . . Pulling out of the regional system would not only result in decreased access to funds, it would put county commissioners temporarily in control of the library until the commissioners appointed a new library board."

At its core, the debate "revolved around whether LGBTQ displays are political agendas or statements of welcome. . . . Chairman Jeff Whitson finally announced that they would not be pulling out of the regional system," Melotte reports. Yancey County is among a growing number of communities where LGBTQ books have created tensions. "Local libraries faced 1,269 demands to ban books last year, according to the American Library Association. That's more than any other year since they began tracking censorship attempts over 20 years ago."

Rural libraries are not just about books. They are "essential public spaces where people are more likely to have limited access to high-speed internet, an adequate number of healthcare providers and other kinds of infrastructure," Melotte reports. "An American Association of Libraries survey showed that 40% of rural libraries provide subscriptions to health databases that do things like help patrons sign up for health insurance or learn about what benefits they are eligible for. As a part of a regional library system, the Yancey County Library has access to extra grants and state aid resources that libraries run by local governments do not." Yancey County Regional Library Director Amber Westall Briggs told Melotte: "State aid exists to fund regional library systems [to] serve socioeconomic areas that needed more assistance so that they could equalize service to the people across the state."