Commissioners reappoint St. Joe County Library’s board member
SOUTH BEND — In a surprise and unscheduled vote, the St. Joseph County Commissioners voted to reappoint Alan Feldbaum to a third fouryear term to the board overseeing the St. Joseph County Public Library.
Feldman’s term was to expire at the end of this month, and library leaders had become concerned Feldbaum would not be appointed again, because Commissioner Deb Fleming told him she received an email from County Council member Amy Drake accusing Feldbaum of not protecting children because he did not vote to remove controversial books from the young adults section of the library.
Library leaders had urged the public to show up to the meeting to support Feldbaum, and the commissioners announced they were taking applications, due Dec. 15, for the position.
But at the meeting, where dozens filled the council chambers for this issue, Commissioner Derek Dieter moved that Feldbaum’s position be voted on today, and fellow Commissioner Deb Fleming, who first nominated Feldbaum eight years ago, seconded the motion. The pair outvoted Commissioner Carl Baxmeyer, who pointed to the need to complete the publicly announced process to fill the position.
Then the commissioners voted on Feldbaum’s reappointment, and all three voted in favor.
The crowd in the meeting room applauded the vote.
Baxmeyer said that Feldbaum and at least three others had applied to seek the position.
Dieter’s opinion was clear earlier in the meeting.
“It’s an overreach what council members are trying to do,” Dieter said after publicly asking library Director Stephanie Murphy a series of questions. “If you don’t want to read it, don’t look at it. This is America. You should be able to read what you want.”
Dieter said it isn’t the library board’s job to manage the logistical aspects of book placements.
When he asked, Murphy explained that it’s the job of the library staff with master’s degrees to select books and
decide where they are to be placed, mostly based on the intended audience listed by the publisher.
The board doesn’t normally vote on particular books or their placement. It’s not in their core, state-required duties, Murphy said. The book that raised concerns this summer, “This Book Is Gay,” met with some public disagreement, and that’s what pushed it to the board. The board, she said, was asked if the book met library policies, and they voted that it did.
“Free people read freely,” Murphy said.
The commissioners allowed up to five people from the public to speak in favor and up to five, in Baxmeyer’s words, who “have a different opinion.”
Five spoke in favor while praising Feldbaum’s qualifications, including former director Deb Futa, along with Community Foundation of St. Joseph County President Rose Meissner, who said the foundation often partners with the library (it’s offices are inside of the downtown library complex).
Only one man, Joe Lane of North Liberty, spoke with a different opinion. He said no one asked for a book to be banned — just that it be moved to another section of the library.
He said he feels the library board responded to the book controversy this summer with a “monolithic” view. While one individual may not make a difference, he said, the library has a “lack of balance to represent policies.”