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

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.

"I think what was disheartening for many of us is that we tried to have dialogue and that dialogue was shut down," Aoh said.

Assistant Library Director Sheryl Thomas, who spoke on behalf of the library Thursday, said library staff had been unable to meet with the board for a special meeting because of time constraints.

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.

"I was disappointed that we weren't asked to be more involved, and that as an advisory board we weren't asked for advice," said board member Kara Murphy.

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Rennie calls out 'muzzling' of county employees

Dialogue overall has been sparse on the matter.

More than a month after the relocation occurred, the only public comment from the county has been a June 20 statement from Erie County Public Information Officer Chris Carroll.

In the statement, Carroll said Pierce's decision to relocate the "Read With Pride" display came after a "significant number of people" expressed concerns about its location at the entrance of Blasco's children's library.

Carroll said it was the policy of the Erie County Executive Brenton Davis administration that "we respect everyone who is celebrating but are also sensitive to those who don't wish to celebrate."

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.

The Erie Times-News attempted to talk to librarians in person but all inquiries were referred to the Davis administration. The Times-News also repeatedly tried to contact Pierce between June 20-21, calling her phone, leaving a handwritten note with her staff and sending her an email.

Carroll told the Times-News that media inquiries to county employees must be made to his office.

County employees, in turn, informed the Times-News that they cannot speak to reporters and must direct all inquiries to the Davis administration. Carroll declined to comment on what kind of personnel action, if any, is taken if employees do not abide by the policy.

Mary Rennie, who announced her resignation from Erie County Council Monday, addressed the lack of communication from county employees during her final council meeting July 11. Rennie is a former library executive director.

"As a former county employee, I think it's atrocious the muzzling of the county employees across the system, library and elsewhere," she said. "People need to feel free to express opinions about things."

She added, "They shouldn't have to feel afraid to lose their jobs simply because they speak to someone, especially myself. I'm horribly offended that I have different people who work in the county who tell me they're not allowed to speak to me. What year are we living in?"

Library Advisory Board president, vice president resign

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.

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.

She called the decision a "form of a micro-aggression" against a marginalized community and cautioned the library to be aware of the unintentional impact of its display policy.

Display relocated: Read With Pride display ordered to be moved from Blasco Library children's section

Library could not confirm number of public complaints

Thomas said she could not quantify how many people complained about the Pride Month display, and said the library doesn't record phone call or in-person complaints, only written ones.

The board requested that Thomas provide the number of written complaints about the display. The board also requested that Thomas find out if any previous displays, particularly ones dealing with diversity, had been relocated or removed in the past.

Aoh encouraged library officials and staff to seek advice from the board.

"Dialogue is extremely important to help build trust between the board and the executive director and library staff," she said. "I will say personally that this incident has eroded some of my trust in the executive director. It could have very easily been remedied by simple communication."

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Library board was not consulted about moving LGBTQ+ book display