Report: “How a Regional Library in Virginia is Being Dismantled While Debating ‘Sexually Explicit’ Themes”
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch (via The News Virginian):
A regional library system serving rural counties north of Richmond has come under fire over the past year and a half.
What was once a consistent pillar in those counties has faced a nearly total turnover on its board as well as the resignation of its director and is in danger of losing a second county, after it recently voted to leave the system.
The Pamunkey Regional Library system has operated consistently for most of its 80-year history without too much controversy or concern about its decisions. That all changed after a display at the Atlee Branch library in September 2022 during Banned Books Week.
The display in the young adult section of the library was meant to educate children about books that had been challenged across the country. It displayed those books with such labels as “sex/nudity,” “anti-police” and “LGBTQ+,” with an informational sheet explaining why the books had been challenged or banned.
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
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