Employee says board exceeded Secretary of State guidance in book review; trustees split on sending list

Elijah Bird, who identified himself as an employee of the Anderson County Library System but speaking for himself, told the board the Secretary of State's recent guidance asked libraries to review the children's collection and submit that review but did not require removal of titles. “The letter includes a request, not a requirement, to libraries to review their juvenile children's section for age appropriateness and then to provide that review to the board who will then provide the report to the office of the secretary,” Bird said.

Bird told trustees the board had gone beyond the letter’s guidance by attempting to select individual titles for removal, placing the system at legal risk. Trustees disagreed on next steps: some said they had already compiled and reviewed lists and wanted to submit the spreadsheet to the Secretary of State (one trustee said the state asked only for the list), while others insisted the board complete an item-by-item review before sending anything. The board scheduled a policy committee meeting and agreed to resume book-review discussion at the August regular meeting to allow a newly appointed member to participate.

Trustees also discussed whether titles identified for removal could instead be relocated from children's to adult collections and said directors had begun recommending relocations. No formal removals were authorized at the meeting; the board preserved that decision for a future, scheduled session.