Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..
Cloudy skies early, then thunderstorms developing late. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
The Pride Month book display on the top floor of the Hughes Main Library in downtown Greenville, pictured on June 24, 2022. File/Stephanie Mirah/Staff
Our free newsletter catches you up with all the business and development stories that are shaping Greenville and the rest of the Upstate daily.
The Pride Month book display on the top floor of the Hughes Main Library in downtown Greenville, pictured on June 24, 2022. File/Stephanie Mirah/Staff
Greenville County public library leaders have remained silent about who directed staff to remove Pride Month displays in June, despite a trustee's scathing resignation that called for the board chair and the library system executive director to step down.
The displays were removed from public library branches the week of June 20, then put back up a short time later. No explanation has been provided as to who ordered the removal or the process that led to their reinstatement.
Repeated attempts by The Post and Courier to get comments from Executive Director Beverly James and the board of trustees have gone mostly unanswered. The few board members who did respond either deferred to James and board Chair Allan Hill, or declined to comment on the record.
Neither James nor Hill have responded to multiple requests for comment over the course of several weeks, including an email with direct questions sent on Aug. 15 that asked for a response within 24 hours.
Laura Baker resigned from the board on July 5. In her email, which was obtained by The Post and Courier through an open records request, she expressed disappointment that James and Hill had not responded to the incident with a public statement.
"Since a statement is not forthcoming, here is mine: The board did not make a decision to remove Pride displays. Attributing the action to the board is a lie," Baker wrote. "I was not consulted. I had no voice in this decision. Who made the decision? Either the executive director and/or the board chair."
Baker, who is a librarian at Furman University, also directed criticism at the full board of trustees.
"The board is feckless and dysfunctional," Baker wrote. "It mostly works well when there is no discord. It crumbles in the face of potential controversy."
The board did not hold its regular monthly meetings in June and July. Multiple sources indicated cancellations have happened in the past and attributed the recent scrubbed meetings to a lack of agenda items. The board did call a special meeting July 27 to deal with one issue, a trespass warning notice appeal hearing. Its next public meeting is scheduled for Aug. 22, and it has published an agenda for that meeting.
In June, 11 books sat on a triangle-shaped shelf on the top floor of Hughes Main Library in downtown Greenville. A sign with a tiny rainbow figure in the center read, “June is Pride Month.”
The display was erected by library staff and highlighted books relevant to, or written by, members of the LGBTQ community. During the week of June 20, someone directed the removal of such displays at the county's 12 public libraries. After pushback, the displays were put back up.
The local incident comes against the backdrop of libraries in South Carolina and nationwide facing objections from some conservative and religious groups about, among other things, books with LGBTQ themes. The Greenville County public library system's $23.1 million budget for fiscal year 2023 was allocated by the county and is funded mostly through property taxes.
In her email, Baker advocated for the recommendations put forth in a joint statement released in June by Upstate Pride SC, the Upstate LGBT+ Chamber and ACLU SC. The statement broadly called for LGBTQ representation and inclusiveness in both library policies and materials. It also called on Greenville County Council to appoint an LGBTQ person to the board.
Baker wrote that she resigned “so an LGBTQ+ person can be appointed.”
The Post and Courier contacted Baker for additional comment, but she declined an interview.
Tyler Prescott, the executive director of the Upstate LGBT+ Chamber, was among those copied on Baker’s resignation email. In a phone interview, Prescott called for a member of the LGBT community to replace Baker on the board.
“I think there is a long-standing gap in the Greenville County Library System Board of Trustees' representation of the LGBT community," he said. "It’s long past time for them to acknowledge we live, we work here. We pay our taxes here. We’re upstanding members of Greenville County.”
The Post and Courier sent an email to Greenville County spokesperson Bob Mihalic to see if the county could provide comment on behalf of the library system since leadership was unresponsive.
Mihalic replied that the county does not speak for the library system. He wrote that the library trustees and James were the proper contacts.
Library trustees are appointed by Greenville County Council. Each term is four years and trustees can be reappointed. The 11-member board has 14 powers and duties outlined on the county website, such as employing a chief librarian and acquiring property for county libraries. Broad duties include taking “any actions deemed necessary and proper by the board to establish, equip, operate and maintain an effective library system within limits of approved appropriations of the Greenville County Council.”
Applications for the county’s various appointed board and commission positions are only accepted during January and July, according to the county website. Baker's former seat is the only current vacancy on the library board.
Since June 24, the Post and Courier has received responses from one library employee, two current trustees and Baker. The answer to its open records request, which contained a PDF of Baker's resignation email, was sent by James but did not address questions and only cited a legal requirement to provide the document.
The library's community engagement manager responded to an email asking for information about meeting cancellations in June and July but did not respond to an email or phone call seeking comment on the display removal.
Two board members responded to emails but either declined to comment, provided little detail or directed questions back to Hill and James.
On a quiet morning in August, minutes after the Hughes Main Library opened its doors for the day, the triangle-shaped shelf on the second floor that two months ago held the Pride Month display contained 20 different books.
On exhibit were titles about hobbies and pursuits — camping, mushrooms, vintage greeting cards and more.
A small sign encouraged visitors to “learn something new.”
Follow Stephanie Mirah on Twitter @stephaniemirah
Stephanie Mirah is a reporter for The Post and Courier Greenville.
The Post and Courier Greenville 1 N. Main St., 4th floor Greenville, SC 29601
News tips/online questions: webteam@postandcourier.com
Subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com
, Post and Courier, an Evening Post Publishing Newspaper Group. All rights reserved.