A library in Iowa has finally reopened its doors this week after staff members—including its interim director—quit en masse after being slammed by community members who accused the center of pushing a “liberal agenda” by stocking books on LGBTQ issues and Democratic leaders.
Jimmy Kelly, chair of the library’s board, told The Daily Beast that staff have had to endure “discrimination, harassment, microaggressions, [and] derogatory names.”
“There was a period…where we were essentially defending the collection of the library, the practices, and the behaviors, and the identity of staff,” he said.
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Vinton Public Library—just outside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa—reopened its doors Monday after shutting down for more than a week, Pink News reported. While readers are welcome back to the library, it’s still operating on a limited schedule due to the staffing issues.
On July 13, the library posted on its Facebook page that it would only be open for four hours a day throughout the week, and special events and programs needed to be canceled.
The library went on a temporary hiatus after a series of heated public board meetings, where angry community members blasted the library for its LGTBQ children’s literature and kids’ books by first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Some also took issue with how LGBTQ staff members expressed themselves, particularly men wearing dresses, The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported.
The library’s interim director, Colton Neely—the third director to leave in just two years—submitted a resignation letter, leaving with other employees on July 8, Kelly told The Daily Beast. In May, the library’s former director, Renee Greenlee, left after just six months on the job and began another post at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.
In March, a board meeting took an ugly turn when community members slammed the library for hiring LGBTQ staff and insisted on more Christian content.
“It appears that there is a slow, quiet agenda moving into our local library culture through the staff hiring decisions and the books that have crept in our children’s section of the library,” Vinton resident Brooke Kruckenberg said at a March meeting, The Gazette reported. “I don’t believe the library is representing our town well with hiring a majority of staff who are openly a part of the LGBTQ community.”
According to former library director Janette McMahon, rather than file formal complaints, community members who opposed books with LGBTQ content would sometimes check them out and never return them, “which is theft of materials,” she said, according to The Gazette.
“Then we had to go through a process to get them back. ... We know the folks that had them out had been making complaints to other city officials and people around me without going through an actual process.”
Social media user Lacey Anne commented on the Vinton Library Facebook page that the closure made her “terribly sad.”
“The Vinton Library gave me hope, safety and comfort as a child. I would not be the person I am today without the wonderful librarians and this library as my sanctuary during some painful years of my life,” she said.
“It’s pretty clear who is actually hurting the children in this situation, and it’s definitely not the librarians,” said Brittany Grendler, a resident of Shellsburg, Iowa, just outside of Vinton. “So incredibly cruel, selfish and inhumane yet they were the ones accusing others of an agenda and amorality. Shame on everyone who forced this hand. If you’re that insecure in your faith that you believe your child’s exposure to a mere book will disrupt their religious journey then perhaps there is some more introspection to do.”
Kelly said there weren’t any specific books that conservative community members had issues with, but they felt like there should be enough Christian-based books to offset books about the LGBTQ community. (For the record, former library director Renee Greenlee—who took the role after McMahon left—reported that out of the nearly 6,000 children’s books at the library, around 7 books revolve around LGBTQ topics, while over 170 deal with Christian themes, according to The Gazette.)
“I feel like maybe asking for more input is one thing and complaining about who the library is hiring because of their supposed sexual orientation or the way they dress is another thing,” Erica Foshe-Everett of Vinton wrote on Facebook. “The selections spanned many interests, lifestyles, and time periods. Including Christianity. And now, during the summer when kids need the library the most it is closed. And I fear that any librarian worth their salt is not going to want to come here now.”
Since Vinton Public Library has reopened, Kelly said that it’s only received about half the traffic that it did before staff members quit. He also said that it’s not his place to tell staff members on how to present themselves, regardless of what community members say.
“People dislike working through bias and not having exposure to people from different backgrounds,” Kelly said. “You have to be a person [who’s] willing to put yourself out there and …help people in their own educational process.”
