FRONT ROYAL, Va. — A public library in Front Royal is forced to make adjustments after concerns over sexually explicit material.
The Warren County Board of Supervisors approved the typical $1 million budget for Samuels Public Library during a work session meeting on Tuesday.
However, four of the five members voted to keep 75% of the funding for now. From July through September, the county will appropriate $256,000.
Supervisor Jay Butler said the county wanted to give the money quarterly to “work things out” with the library about books some parents deemed controversial and inappropriate for children. Butler agrees with the parents who vocalized their issues that some of the content are pornographic.
“If they want to keep it in the library, that’s up to them,” Butler told WUSA9. “We just don’t want to have that available. We’re just letting folks know that if our public money is going to be used, then it’s going to be under scrutiny.”
Butler did not say if the books still exist after the first quarter that the county will withhold the rest of the funding.
Samuels Public Library Executive Director Michelle Ross said the team is working with the board on a couple of compromises to avoid infringing on anyone’s rights.
Ross said the library board would still have to vote on the ideas which include creating a New Adults section to move content from the Young Adults section. There is a proposal to have new library cards that would give parents the option and authority on what kind of book their child can check out.
“We are really a beloved institution here in our community, so I don't think the board of supervisors wants to defund the library,” said Ross.
Since late May, the library received nearly 600 complaints about 134 books.
In a board meeting last week, dozens of parents, many affiliated with the online group “CleanUpSamuels,” called the books “disgusting” and demanded the library be held accountable.
“A library that threatens the innocence of children puts parents in a situation where they can't trust the same community they paid with their tax money to maintain,” said one mother.
There is also an overwhelming amount of support for the library, which also makes money through different donations. In the same board meeting, many community members favored protecting the library and keeping the books.
Sydney Patton questions if the complaints are more geared towards LGBTQ+ literature. She believes opponents cherry picked lines to get a reaction and failed to consider the entirety of the book and its cultural and creative context.
In her opinion, the library is being ransomed of its money to comply with demands from the opposing groups.
“We have always said you have the option not to look at the material,” said Patton. “If you don't want your child to have access to it, then don't check it out.”
“Where are they going to come next?” questioned Patton. “There are plenty of other sections in here that they can attack. There's material in here that I don't like but a well cultivated library has different opinions and should reflect the diversity of the community.”
An online petition to support the library has garnered more than 16,000 signatures.