Report: “Alabama Public Library Service Staff, Board at Odds Over New Compliance Employee”

From Alabama Reflector:

Alabama Public Library Service staff Thursday advised members of the APLS board to not fill a position created to assist libraries with compliance with controversial administrative code changes over the last two years.

Pennie Broussard, who works in the human resources department for APLS, told the Board she advised rescinding the posting without filling it.

“We really have no need for this position,” she said. “The agency really has no need for this position. We have got an assistant director, and some of the duties that were mentioned for this position to do are Katie’s (Bailey) duties that she is graded on for her appraisal.

Board Chair John Wahl, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, and board member Amy Minton disagreed with the recommendation. Both said they believed the position was necessary after hearing from libraries about the resources required to make changes aligned with the code.

“I think putting someone in this role that could really work with local libraries, and make sure we go above and beyond, to make sure they do have someone they can lean on and a resource they can use, I think that is good for local libraries,” Wahl said in an interview after the meeting.

Read Freely Alabama, an organization opposed to restricting access to library books, also said that the position is unnecessary.

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