Banned books battle hits close to Rappahannock County

As Front Royal library faces closure, Rappahannock, Fauquier libraries oppose censorship 

While Rappahannock and Fauquier county libraries have not experienced book banning battles over the content of some children’s books, they stand with Samuels Public Library in Front Royal where a heated controversy threatens closure of the historic library. 

Library directors in the two counties support Samuels saying public libraries should serve and reflect the community as a whole. The directors say they have only occasionally heard from patrons concerned over the content of some books on their shelves.

But in Front Royal, shuttering the community’s library remains a possibility after the Warren County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 19 to approve funding for only the next three months amidst a stormy debate about the content of some children’s books. The temporary funding effectively delays its decision over the fate of the library until after the Nov. 7 election.

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The controversy, which has made national and international headlines, began in April when Front Royal resident Mark Egger requested the removal of three books from the library, with origins dating to 1836. By May, a group called Clean Up Samuels Library was active, hosting an event to encourage people to fill out forms requesting the removal of 134 books for young readers, claiming they contain pornography. 

It is demanding the library, a nonprofit that receives the bulk of its funding from the county, be placed under the control of the Board of Supervisors. The group also wants the library to sever ties with the American Library Association (ALA), which it characterizes as an “extremely liberal, Marxist organization,” according to its website.

Two requests for removal of books came from Board of Supervisors’ member Jerome “Jay” Butler, asking for removal of “Gender Queer,” a memoir about gender identity, and “Lawn Boy,” a coming-of-age novel. In the requests he filed, Butler wrote that he was representing the “Warren County Board of Supervisors.” But fellow supervisor Cheryl Cullers said at the Sept. 19 meeting that she was disturbed he had spoken for the board and that he did not represent her.

“I have only read the description noted in the Samuels Library computer” as well as comments emailed from a constituent, Butler wrote on his form, adding, “Samuels Library should remove this book from their shelves and not have any literature like this in their library.”

In early June the group’s supporters attended the supervisors’ budget meeting and demanded that the books be removed. Roughly a week later the supervisors voted to approve the budget but withhold 75% of the library’s funding until Oct. 1.  

Samuels operates as a nonprofit 501(c)3 with an independent board of trustees. Warren County contributes approximately $1 million, 75% of the library’s budget. But if local funding is withheld, the library loses its state funding as well. 

The culture war over books — primarily those representing LGBTQ+ characters — has spread throughout the country. The ALA reported unprecedented book challenges in 2022, with 1,269 demands to remove books, nearly twice those reported in 2021. The number increased again during the first eight months of 2023, up 20 percent over the same period the previous year. But few places have been threatened with library closure as a result. (One library in western Michigan is expected to close in 2024 due to defunding over the issue.)  

Neighboring support

Rappahannock and Fauquier county librarians are watching the Samuels Public Library situation unfold but say they have not faced similar threats. 

Amanda Weakley, director of Rappahannock County Public Library, said the library revised its policies in April in response to book challenges taking place nationwide. 

“There is a process if a patron has any problem with our materials. They can fill out a request for reconsideration of material,” said Weakley. “We do encourage anyone who has any issues to have a conversation with us about the material, and as a public library it’s our goal to have something for everyone.”

She recalled one situation in which a patron didn’t want their child to view a certain item. “Really the conversation was all it took and realizing the material was housed in an appropriate location, and the parent always has the right to see what a child is checking out,” Weakley said, “or they can accompany the child in the library. So while it wasn’t for their child, they did understand that there may be someone else who would like to see that material.”

Neither Fauquier nor Rappahannock offers cards limiting the material that can be checked out by age, although Weakley said for anyone under 18, a parent or guardian signature is required for a library card.

She believes the Rappahannock library has strong community support from residents, the county board of supervisors and the library trustees. The trustees helped to write the library’s revised policy.

“I’ve only been director three years, but with my experience, they are appointing professionals who care about the library,” said Weakley, who worked at the library for a decade before being named director in 2020. “If there is an issue, we’re certainly open to hearing what people think and how they feel and what they would like in the library. As a public library, we do want something for everyone, with an understanding that everything isn’t for everyone.”

Fauquier’s library director, Maria Del Rosso, said people have voiced various concerns over the years but that they have not become more frequent. 

“We talk to them and explain the library policy. That’s not unusual; that has gone on for all the years I have been here,” she said. “We explain the library’s policy and offer something that might appeal to them if something is not what they’re looking for; that just happens when you’re in a public library.”

She said Fauquier also follows a collection development policy and a reconsideration of materials’ policy, which have been in place for years. “We follow these events carefully, just because we want to be well aware of what’s going on,” she said.

Weakley said the Rappahannock library stands with Samuels, as it does all libraries. 

“As a public library, we want to provide a well-rounded collection and diverse materials, and we want to see all libraries doing that,” she said. “We really want to serve the community as a whole, not cater to individuals, so having a well-rounded collection and diverse materials that reflect the interests and needs of everyone in the community is what’s important. That’s what we stand by, and the freedom to read, intellectual freedom.”

“We support Samuels in that we recognize the Library Bill of Rights,” said Del Rosso, referring to the ALA’s statement of principles that include opposing censorship. “Public libraries should reflect the community they serve, and people should be able to find the information they’re seeking in the library, and I think that we all stand for that.”

Samuels’ director resigns

In August, the Samuels’ trustees offered parental control library cards and a “new adult” section, separate from the young adult section, for those 16 years old through college age. 

Library director Michelle Ross resigned that same month. A press release issued by the library said she was departing “to pursue her larger career goals.” But the library’s board president said Ross’ resignation was “the best thing for…her health and well being,” according to an Aug. 5 article in The Northern Virginia Daily.

The first three books under challenge include two juvenile titles—“I Am Jazz” and “Ana on the Edge” — and one young adult fiction title, “This Is Why They Hate Us.” All three remain in the collection, with “I Am Jazz” in the recently created new adult section.  

According to Save Samuels, a group supporting the library, the requests for “Reconsideration” of materials have come from 97 (less than half of 1%) of the library’s roughly 20,500 patrons. 

“It’s crucial to remember that no one is compelled to read material they find objectionable, but removing these books from the collection would deny access to those who value them,” says a Change.org petition in support of Samuels with nearly 20,000 signatures. “We firmly oppose such actions and recognize them for what they truly are: censorship.”

Of 24 members of the public who spoke at the Sept. 19 supervisors’ meeting, all but one supported the library. One speaker, an attorney, warned that the board was “on a collision course with civil rights litigation” for violating the First Amendment.

Foothills Forum is an independent, community-supported nonprofit tackling the need for in-depth research and reporting on Rappahannock County issues.

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