Our Library Deserves Accountability and Transparency

As a concerned citizen and taxpayer of Warren County, I am deeply troubled by the actions of Samuels Library, Inc.’s Board of Trustees and fully support the efforts of the Warren County Library Board and the Board of Supervisors to protect our public library.

For the past several months, I have heard misleading claims that the Library Board and the Board of Supervisors want to defund or close the library. These accusations are nothing more than buzzwords that distract the public from what is really happening: Samuels Library, Inc. is actively working against the interests of Warren County.

After hearing the Warren County Library Board’s findings about an impromptu Samuels Library, Inc. meeting with no posted agenda on December 17th, I went and searched the website myself. I came to the same conclusion that the Warren County Library Board did: In a secret, improperly noticed meeting, the Samuels Library, Inc. Board of Trustees quietly changed the library’s dissolution clause, stripping away the guarantee that library assets would remain in Warren County. Instead, they gave themselves the power to send those assets anywhere in the country, to any nonprofit, for any purpose. This shocking move was done behind closed doors, without proper public notice, in direct violation of Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act and the Nonstock Corporation Act. What was more shocking to me was the fact that this change specified that the assets could ONLY go to a non-profit, which directly EXCLUDES the entity of Warren County.

This is not just bureaucratic mismanagement—it is a deliberate action that puts the Samuels Library, Inc. Board of Trustees’ self-interests before the long-term benefit of the community.

The Warren County Library Board was rightfully established to bring transparency, accountability, and good governance to our public library system, just like 95% of other libraries in our great state. Yet Samuels Library, Inc. has refused to engage in a constructive dialogue. They have:

• Refused to provide financial and policy information to the Library Board.
• Refused multiple invitations to meet and discuss the future of the library.
• Filed a lawsuit against the county instead of cooperating with local officials.

These actions make it clear: Samuels Library, Inc. is not interested in working with the county to maintain a strong, publicly accountable library system. Instead, they are clinging to power while misleading the public about their true intentions.

Every taxpayer in Warren County should be asking: Why is a private board fighting so hard to keep the public from knowing how our library is being run? Why are they trying to remove library assets from Warren County rather than ensuring that they remain in our community?

The citizens of this county deserve a library system that is open, transparent, and accountable. We should not have a library that is controlled by a self-interested Board of Trustees who meet in secret to undermine the community’s interests.

I commend the Warren County Library Board and the Board of Supervisors for their efforts to ensure that our public library remains just that—public. It’s time for the people of Warren County to stand up and demand the transparency and accountability we deserve.

Evan Casey
Warren County, VA

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