Former Samuels Library Board member counters salary and process rumors

Hello to my fellow readers,

Having read through a few incorrect rumors in the recent opinion letters, I thought it might be helpful to remind us all of some facts:

1) “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” That is the First Amendment.

2) The library board is made up of Warren County taxpayers, including those of many faiths, whose job is to oversee governance issues such as policy, strategic planning, fiscal matters, and selection and supervision of the library director. Please see samuelslibrary.net/index.php/about/about-your-library. I’m sure their bios can be made available. As a former library board trustee for three years and a taxpayer in Warren County for seventeen, I can personally attest to this fact.

3) Library salaries for Samuels Library’s 21 paid staff average $33,333, not $96K. This is public information that can be obtained from your county supervisors. In 2017, the highest salary, for Director, was $70,000. (If the average salary were $96K, I’d be first in line to work the floor and shelve books!)

4) The library purchases approximately 10,000 books annually, far more than the staff can actually read. Therefore, they must rely on a variety of reviewers, including, but not restricted to, those mentioned at last week’s County hearing. Publishers, who do read, edit, and take legal responsibility for every book they publish, recommend age appropriateness. In a capitalist economy such as ours, publishers naturally seek the broadest audience for their books. So if you believe that the 12-18-year range is inappropriate for Young Adult, you should address your advocacy to publishers. That would be very helpful to us all.

5) Libby e-books are part of a shared collection with the Blue Ridge Download Consortium, which consists of 13 different public libraries on our region. Each library purchases items for the shared collection, Samuels Library has no authority over the selections of the other libraries. Our tax dollars do not pay for those items.

6) A proposal for two types of limited-use cards is now under discussion. Parents would be able to request a Juvenile or Young Adult card that would prohibit use of books beyond their age range, as well as access to all e-books.

7) Books that have not been checked out over a two-year period are de-accessioned.

8) Once again, 53 people comprise .13% of our county’s population (40,272 as per 2020 US Census). One hundred thirty-four (or is it now 139?) books comprise .37% of approximately 36,000 physical books in the library’s Young Adult and Children’s collection and .14% of the library’s entire collection.

9) As per the library’s collection development policy: “Materials are selected to present an array of opinions on a subject and are judged as a whole rather than on isolated passages.” (Please see samuelslibrary.net/index.php/about/policies-more) “Suggestions from the public regarding selection of materials are encouraged and will be reviewed by Library staff. The Library Board of Trustees hereby endorses the American Library Association’s (ALA) Library Bill of Rights, the ALA’s Freedom to Read Statement, and the ALA’s Free Access to Libraries for Minors Statement, and interprets these statements to include all Library materials regardless of format. “ (Personally I encourage you to look up the full descriptions of the 134 books in question on Amazon, as well as reader comments. They are enlightening.)

10)  Following submission of a Request for Reconsideration, review takes approximately four weeks, including the opportunity for appeal. As you can imagine, it is going to take some time for 134 books to go through this process. “Responsibility for the selection and removal of books and other Library materials resides with the Director, who may delegate that responsibility to Library staff.” (See Collection Development Policy.) Decisions can be appealed, at which point a five-member ad hoc board committee reviews the item and makes a final decision.

Keep calm and carry on!

Sonja Carlborg
Front Royal, Virginia
Omnivorous Reader since Age 4