Montgomery–The Alabama Public Library Service will not move forward with hiring a proposed assistant director who would have been responsible for monitoring public libraries’ compliance with new state requirements governing materials in youth sections.
The decision came Thursday during the APLS board’s first meeting since March. The agency had advertised the position as a temporary assistant director and received two applications, including one from a former library director with 15 years’ experience.
After discussing the position, APLS Director Kelyn Ralya decided not to fill it at this time.
Consultants and Ralya raised concerns about creating the position, saying its proposed responsibilities could go beyond the agency’s traditional advisory role. They also questioned whether duties normally assigned to merit employees should be transferred to a temporary, non-merit position.
The position was intended to help monitor libraries for compliance with APLS requirements concerning materials considered sexually explicit or related to what the agency defines as “gender ideology” when those materials are located in youth sections.
Those requirements are tied to state funding.
APLS has required libraries to adopt policies addressing the materials as a condition of receiving state aid. The issue has already resulted in the Fairhope Public Library losing state funding after the APLS Board determined certain books should not remain in the library’s youth section.
Board member pushes for position
While APLS staff recommended against filling the position, board member Amy Minton argued that the agency needs a more proactive approach to enforcing the requirements.
Minton told the board that she could identify multiple libraries that she believed could lose state aid because of books in their children’s sections.
“I could point out 10 libraries right now that would lose state aid because of books in their children’s sections,” Minton said. She said she wanted to prevent the issue from becoming a larger dispute and warned that the situation could become a problem if it is not addressed.
Board Chairman John Wahl said the agency ultimately has a responsibility to ensure libraries comply with state requirements.
However, the board was advised that members did not have the authority to appoint someone to the proposed position. The decision rests with Ralya, who opted not to fill the job.
The decision means APLS will not have a dedicated employee proactively reviewing library catalogs for potential violations of the state’s youth collection requirements.
Read Freely Alabama applauds decision
The decision drew a favorable response from Read Freely Alabama, a state-based organization that has opposed what it describes as censorship and restrictive policies affecting public libraries.
Angie Hayden, co-founder of Read Freely Alabama, said the discussion surrounding the position reinforced the organization’s concerns about the proposed role.
“Yesterday’s APLS board meeting confirmed exactly why we should all be concerned about this newly created and unnecessary assistant director position,” Hayden said. “Board member Amy Minton admitted that she intends for the ‘sole job’ of the assistant director to be to identify individual books libraries would be forced to censor or lose their state funding.”
“This creates a state censorship officer and expands inappropriate state control over local libraries,” Hayden said.
Hayden also said her organization appreciated APLS staff members raising questions about whether the position exceeded the board’s authority.
“We appreciate the APLS staff making clear that this far exceeds the board’s authority, which is administrative, and that it is not the board’s place to override local decisions about where books are shelved in Alabama’s public libraries,” she said.
Hayden said the staff’s position also supports Read Freely Alabama’s argument that the position should not have been created.
“The fact that the APLS staff feels this position is not necessary underscores that it should never have been created in the first place,” Hayden said.
“Read Freely Alabama stands with our public libraries and their staff as they face these continued ideological and political attacks on their funding by this board under Chairman John Wahl’s leadership,” she said.
Issue could return in November
Although the proposed position will not be filled at this time, the underlying dispute over library compliance remains unresolved.
Minton said the lack of proactive enforcement could make it necessary for library patrons to bring complaints directly before the APLS Board. Wahl encouraged parents and others with concerns about library materials to first address those concerns with their local library boards.
The issue could return to the APLS Board in November, potentially putting renewed focus on how the agency intends to monitor compliance with its requirements without a dedicated compliance officer.
For now, the decision leaves APLS staff responsible for determining how the agency will address potential violations while local library systems continue operating under rules that can affect their eligibility for state financial assistance.
