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Samuels Public Library in Front Royal will keep its doors open at least three more months under a temporary funding reprieve that the Warren County Board of Supervisors passed Tuesday night, allowing more time for negotiations over control of the library and its policies on LGBTQ books for young readers.
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The library was set to run out of operating funds at the end of September because supervisors, under pressure from a group of conservative activists, voted in June to withhold three-quarters of its annual appropriation unless something was done about children’s access to LGBTQ-themed books.
While many school systems in Virginia have struggled with a national backlash against books with topics related to gender or sexual orientation, the Front Royal showdown marks the first time in the state that the issue has jeopardized funding for a public library.
Public libraries are the latest front in culture war battle over books
Samuels Public Library leaders refused to remove the books but instituted policies to tighten parental control, such as creating a special section for young adults and new categories of library cards that restrict what certain age groups can check out without permission from parents.
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But the library’s opponents, many of whom are associated with a local Catholic church and religious college, pushed for the county to exert greater control. Samuels, which has roots dating back to 1799, is one of 19 public libraries in Virginia that operates as a private nonprofit. It gets about 80 percent of its operating funds from Warren County, approximately $1 million per year.
The supervisors earlier offered to restore funding if the library gave the county greater control, including appointing new trustees and restricting what money is used to purchase new books, but the Samuels trustees refused in a vote on Sept. 14. Instead, the trustees offered to meet with county supervisors in hopes of reaching an agreement.
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An executive committee from the Samuels board met with five county supervisors Tuesday afternoon in a closed session. The supervisors then convened their regular meeting by voting, without discussion, to release another $256,000 in library funding.
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“The library sees this as a very positive development and sign that both sides are negotiating in good faith. We hope to have a final [memorandum of agreement] in the near future,” a spokesman for Samuels said in a written statement.
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During a public comment section of the supervisors’ meeting, supporters of the library said the temporary funding was not enough.
“Funding the library for another quarter is nothing but a cynical and transparent attempt to avoid accountability before the election,” Front Royal resident Charles Stewart told the board, referring to the Nov. 7 ballot.
But later in the meeting, several supervisors said they hoped the county and library were close to reaching an agreement that would let both sides move forward — although some who said that did not sound particularly conciliatory.
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“It is an issue of accountability and responsiveness to the taxpayers, to all of the taxpayers of this county. That’s what it comes down to and that is what the board of supervisors is seeking to achieve,” county supervisor Jerome “Jay” Butler said.
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Supervisor Delores Oates, who is running as a Republican for the state House of Delegates, said the library had “made progress” and vowed that she would “never vote to deprive taxpayers of this incredible community service.” But she added that if she became a member of the House, her first bill would be to strip libraries, schools and museums of what she said is the ability to provide children with “obscene content.”
Supervisor Cheryl Cullers, the lone member who voted against the original move to withhold funding, said she is disappointed in the whole situation.
“What’s happening with the library is tearing this community apart and that breaks my heart,” she said. “Let’s all take a breath, please, and let both boards work together for a contract that is acceptable to both.”
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