After staff refused to remove books on racism, LGBTQ issues, and sexual matters that certain members of the community objected to, voters in a conservative enclave within a blue state will decide whether to close the county’s lone library.
According to Jessica Ruffcorn, a mother and small business owner who began the petition to dissolve the Columbia County Rural Library District in Dayton, Washington, our current library is not meeting the needs or interests of the majority of our community.
Small Community Controversy Threatens Library Closure
It’s time to close it down, assess what our community most needs, and set new objectives since they are not being good stewards of our tax dollars. According to the American Library Association, the library would be the first in the nation to close due to a disagreement over a book.
Nestled in the southeast corner of Washington is the rural village of Columbia County, which has a population of roughly 4,000.
In sharp contrast to the state as a whole, which has long been a Democratic bastion, residents voted 70.3% in favor of then-President Trump in 2020.
The nonfiction book, written for youth ages 14 and up, includes multiple sex act descriptions.
At that month’s library board meeting, two local residents raised concerns about a few books that dealt with racial or LGBTQ issues.
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Overflow Crowd at Library Meeting Signals Uproar
The normally sparsely attended meeting at the library the next month had standing room only. The director of the library urged users to submit forms asking for the materials to be reconsidered.
The library’s interim director, Ellen Brigham, told Fox News via email that libraries have to tread a narrow line between censorship and selection when building a collection that satisfies the requirements of their entire community and everyone in it.
The library’s closure would result in the total elimination of a range of daily resources used by residents of Columbia County.
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