Botetourt Library system praised by citizens at Board of Supervisors meeting April 25

Citizens listened to Delores Vest local bookstore owner who was one of several that spoke against censorship in local libraries.–Photo courtesy of Botetourt County

 Ten people turned out to tell the Board of Supervisors that they love the county’s public libraries and that parents should be responsible for what their children read, not library personnel, when the Board of Supervisors met on April 25, 2023. The meeting was held at the Botetourt County Administration Center at Greenfield in Amsterdam.

The turnout was a response to speakers at the March meeting who claimed the library holdings included pornographic, obscene, and sexually explicit books, including some in the children’s sections of the libraries.

At the request of speaker Jill Pennington, more than 20 people stood up to show support for Botetourt County Libraries. “Parents have control over their children’s library card until they are 18,” she said, adding that people who were objecting to certain books, “…do not get to dictate what other people teach their children.”

Doloris Vest, owner of Book No Further in downtown Roanoke and a Troutville area resident, said that efforts to challenge or restrict books in libraries had been a boon for her business as citizens sought to see what the concerns were. “I’ve sold a lot of copies of challenged books,” she said. She went on to say that “every book out there can be found by someone” to be objectionable.

She also said she had a list that was 57 feet long listing titles of books that had, “bothered somebody.” She went on to say that, “if anybody starts deciding a book is bad . . . and you ban Lord of the Rings or Lord of the Flies, you also have to ban the Bible.”

Sally Field stated that she respected the right of every person to choose what they read, and she expected the same consideration. “I am the only person who can choose what I read,” she said.

She added that it is the responsibility of parents, not the library, to determine what a child could or could not read.

“We don’t want people choosing things for other people based on a limited set of ideas,” Alice Duehl of Fincastle said. “Different parents have different ideas about what is appropriate and when.”

KD Rogers said he was a proud supporter of the county library system and its staff. “To think what they and the system are being put through right now is inexcusable,” he said. He added that he wanted his child to be, “exposed to different ideas so she can learn how to think critically, and not force fed others ideas.”

He also said he would never have imagined something like book bannings occurring in, “our community. I remember reading about book bannings in a less civilized time and place. . . . Where do we say enough is enough?” Additionally, he said he was speaking out, “to let this body [the Board of Supervisors] know that this book banning has opposition.”

Other speakers said that censorship of any kind is wrong and that people should have the freedom to read whatever he or she wants. “The public library was my teacher,” Ann Davis said. “When children have questions, the public library is the place to go. Books can be tools for understanding life’s complex issues.”

Michael Perry of Trinity said that books in the library system do not meet the definition of obscene materials and noted the First Amendment of the US Constitution discusses free speech. Additionally, he felt certain that the trained library staff and head librarian were doing their job appropriately and meeting the needs of the entire community, not just a few, he said.

Other comments included a suggestion that everyone read Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, which is a book about book banning, concern about using a religious test to determine if a book should stay on the library shelves, and parental responsibility.

The latter point was a major theme of most of the speakers, who said that parents are responsible for what their children read, not the library staff. Several noted that children under the age of 13 are supposed to be accompanied by an adult when they are in the library, and that person should ensure that children read material the adult considers appropriate.

“Censorship is not a liberal or a conservative issue,” Chris Porter of Blue Ridge said. “This is about fundamental constitutional rights and the limits on establishment. Trying to justify censorship using made up words that provoke fear cannot be used to justify [book removal]. I stand with the rational citizens who make up the majority of this county.”

The library has received one formal request to review books. The request originally listed 59 books, but only 12 of those are actually in the Botetourt County library system. The other books are part of the Roanoke Valley Consortium and must be requested through the valley-wide delivery service.

The 11 books and one DVD owned by Botetourt are currently going through the library’s review process, which takes time as every book must be read by multiple people, according to Library Director Julie Phillips.

                                                            — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee