Virginia library faces potential shutdown over funding after children's books are challenged
A Virginia library that traces its roots to the 18th century could soon be shuttered over a dispute about children’s books that expose readers to LGBTQ characters.
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — A Virginia library that traces its roots to the 18th century could soon be shuttered over a dispute about children’s books that expose readers to gay, lesbian and transgender characters.
Like many libraries across the country, the Samuels Public Library in Warren County has found itself embroiled in conflict over books with LGBTQ themes.
What sets the Samuels library apart is the very real threat that it will have to close down entirely because of the dispute. The county’s Board of Supervisors voted in June to withhold 75% of its appropriation to the library unless the library board revises its bylaws to give the county more of a say in its governance.
The library, which is structured as a nonprofit organization that receives the bulk of its funding from the county, has said it will run out of operating funds by the end of the month.
Melody Hotek, president of the library’s board of trustees, and Eileen Grady, the library’s interim director, say the county’s action is the direct result of a small group of activists who deride any children’s book with gay, lesbian or transgender characters as “pornography.”
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