Stonewalled… Not That Stonewall!

In hiding, that is what the ED in Erie County Pennsylvania is doing, hiding from the Library Advisory Board, the Erie County Public Library Executive Director Karen Pierce is doing to avoid questions as to why the Pride exhibit was moved.

Erie County Library Advisory Board says dialogue 'shut down' over relocation of Pride book display

Three members of the Erie County Library Advisory Board resigned after the library executive director ordered staff to relocate a Pride Month display in June.

Erie Times-News

By A.J. Rao

July 25, 2023

When a Pride Month book display at Blasco Memorial Library featuring LGBTQ+ children's books was relocated in June, the all-volunteer Library Advisory Board attempted to find out why.

It wasn't easy.

Interim Board President Quyen Aoh said the board reached out to Erie County Public Library Executive Director Karen Pierce several times by email and phone. They'd hoped to convene a special board meeting to address the relocation, which had sparked fast backlash from LGBTQ+ groups as well as some state and local elected officials.

But Aoh said the board only received notification from the library that special board meetings could only be called by Pierce's "direct superior," a claim that Aoh refuted.

"The (advisory board) bylaws specifically state that we can call additional meetings if three or more of us request it, which is what we did," Aoh said at the board's July meeting on Thursday.

Board member Adam Groves said the bylaws also allow board presidents to call a special meeting at their discretion, and that the board president at the time, William Conway, attempted to do so to no avail.

Why do conservatives lie all the time? It seems like conservatives try to weasel of everything that they do.

Board members responded by noting they are specifically appointed — seven by Erie County Council and two by the county executive — to provide guidance and accountability to the library director, especially when a library policy or decision affects so many in the community.

If they can fire the Executive Director why don’t they do so, with the words that Donald Trump made famous… “You’re Fired!”

What gets me is;

Shortly after library staff were directed to move the display on June 19, a sign attributed to "Erie County Public Library Children's Librarians" was seen at the children's library. It stated the executive director told them to take down or move the display to a less visible location because of a complaint. [My emphasis.]

“A” complaint not a dozen, not five, not even two but “A” complaint. How many complaints will it take to put them back to where they were? A dozen? Two dozen? A hundred complaints about them being removed? Does one complaint cancel a hundred complaints about them taken down?

The decision to relocate the display was condemned not just by organizations like the Greater Erie Alliance For Equality and the NW Pride Alliance — the latter called the decision an "outright attempt to censor queer content" — but the Library Advisory Board itself.

The board confirmed Thursday that three of its members resigned in response: Bonnie Barthelmes, as well as Conway, the president, and Vice President Martha Knuth. The nine-member board now has five vacancies.

Surely the Board can order the ED to come before the Board. Can you imagine yourself refusing to see your boss when called to their office?

Thomas said it was not the library's intent to marginalize anyone and that Pride Month displays were set up in other parts of the library. She also said the display was simply moved to accommodate another "summer reading program" display and that no books were removed from circulation.

Aoh, citing the American Library Association, said even the relocation of books can be a form of censorship.

That seems like very poor planning if the displays overlapped just happened during Pride month. Why don’t I believe that “...it was not the library's intent to marginalize anyone…” and not only that but no one knows how many complaints were made.

The Board has asked many questions that they are waiting for answers from. Questions like the number of complaints… the Board only heard crickets from the ED. Or a question was any display moved before for any reason or is this the first time.

These people scream “Parental Rights” but it seems to be a one-way street… their rights and everyone else rights be damned!