Llano County could close libraries
The justice of the peace courtroom where the Llano County Commissioners Court meets was filled on April 10, when K. Stewart (pink shirt standing left) suggested during public comments that the county shut down the library. Commissioners returned from an executive session to set a special meeting on April 13 to discuss doing just that. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Llano County commissioners could decide to shut down the county library system during a special meeting set for 3 p.m. Thursday, April 13. The county is embroiled in a civil lawsuit that has drawn national attention over the removal of 12 controversial books.
Agenda item 1 for the special meeting reads: Continue or cease operations of the current physical Llano County Library System pending further guidance from the Federal Courts. This action item will include discussion and action regarding the continued employment and/or status of the Llano County Library System employees and the feasibility of the use of the library premises by the public.
Commissioners also included an executive session on the agenda for discussion behind closed doors. The meeting is to take place at the Justice of the Peace 4 courtroom, 2001 Texas 16 North in Llano.
The move was no surprise to lawsuit plaintiff Leila Green Little, who immediately sent out word for people to contact local elected officials and come to the special meeting on Thursday prepared to speak out.
“We may not get another opportunity to save our library system and, more importantly, the public servants who work there,” she said in her message.
She included in her email to “Llano Library System supporters” a text message between one of the defendants, Llano County Library Advisory Board Vice-Chair Bonnie Wallace, and a woman in Bonham she has been keeping updated on the case. The text exchange is included in discovery and is public information.
On Feb. 2, Wallace wrote: “Llano County leaders are amazing! The (Llano County) judge (Ron Cunningham) has said, if we lose the injunction, he will close the library because he will not put the porn back into the kid’s section! Very Courageous! Keep praying!”
The county did lose parts of the injunction on March 30, which forced the library to return 12 controversial books to the library shelves and the digital catalog. Another judge on April 5 ordered Llano County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Don Moss and Wallace to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, after they did not show for depositions scheduled in late March. They were ordered to appear at 10 a.m. April 27 or face sanctions.
The order for Moss and Wallace to appear in court was handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Lane. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman, who is presiding over the Little et. al. v. Llano County et. al. case, referred the motions to Lane for disposition on March 29. Lane filed his order on April 5.
“The court WARNS (judge’s emphasis) defendants and defendants’ counsel that it is taking plaintiffs’ request for sanctions UNDER ADVISEMENT,” Lane’s two-page order reads.
Pitman also recently ordered the defendants, which includes all five members of the Commissioners Court, the system’s head librarian, and Library Advisory Board officers, to put 12 books that were pulled from the shelves and removed from the digital catalog back into circulation. Seven Llano County residents filed the civil suit on April 25, 2022, claiming that removing the controversial books was a violation of their first and fourteenth amendment rights.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed a motion to compel appearance at depositions on March 27 after Wallace and Moss did not show on their set dates: March 22 and 27, respectively.
The defense filed a response to the plaintiffs’ motion to compel on March 30.
“The plaintiffs already deposed Jerry Don Moss on June 28, 2022,” reads the motion by defense attorney Jonathan Mitchell of Mitchell Law in Austin. “They cannot depose him a second time without first obtaining leave of court or a stipulation of the parties. The plaintiffs have not even sought, let alone obtained, the required leave or stipulation.”
The plaintiffs argue that a June 7, 2022, agreement between the parties allowed for second depositions of all of the defendants without leave of court or stipulation.
“The agreement of June 7, 2022, says nothing of the sort,” countered Mitchell in his response to the motion.
Meanwhile, at a Llano County Commissioners Court meeting in Llano on Monday, April 10, two residents spoke out against Judge Pitman’s order on March 30 to return 12 controversial books to library shelves and the digital catalog. The books were returned on March 31 within 24 hours of the order. All 12 were checked out by the next day.
“I am sorry to hear about the judge’s ruling on the Little case,” Fred Ganske said. “I just want to encourage the (Commissioners Court) to aggressively pursue the appeal.”
K. Stewart then took the microphone to suggest commissioners close the library and stop spending money on the lawsuit.
“I don’t think we even have to fool with it anymore,” she said. “Let the city (of Llano) have it. Let them have the taxes. I don’t like that my taxes have had to go to all of this fighting. I don’t like that everybody has been torn up. This town has literally been torn up over it. We’re sideways. Just move on. I don’t understand why we have to battle such an unbelievable thing. If they insist on having (the books), and if we don’t win again, then just close down.”
Both comments were followed by applause from many of the people in the crowded justice of the peace courtroom where commissioners hold their regular meetings.
The April 5 order for Moss and Wallace to appear in person before the judge later this month ended on a firm note from the judge.
“Should defendants Bonnie Wallace and Jerry Don Moss fail to appear physically at the April 27th hearing, they will be in violation of this court’s order and may be subject to the application of any of the sanctions described above,” the judge wrote.
The sanctions include the judge rendering a default judgment against the disobedient party or issuing a contempt of court charge. They could also be ordered to pay reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees caused by the failure to appear.
The Little et al v. Llano County et al case is set for a jury trial on Oct. 24.
Additional reporting by staff writer Dakota Morrissiey
8 thoughts on “Llano County could close libraries”
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This should be front page news. People should care that the libraries are being threatened. There’s already a shortage of things to do in the area, and the one educational resource is about to be shuttered?! It’s absurd. It’s ridiculous that anyone would sue the library, a public resource that serves the community. If you want to make a difference, then get involved or volunteer or sponsor a little free library outside with whatever books you want to make sure everyone has access to. Suing the library is asinine, particularly if you have yet to try any other avenue of recourse.
Personally, as the mother of a young child, I would prefer my son read “Dragons Love Tacos” or “The Giving Tree” than “I Broke My Butt!” but that’s mostly because we’re constantly working on controlling potty language.
The first things the Nazis did after taking power was to go after books they did not like, they held book burnings in public. The free dissemination of ideas is the foundation of a free informed and democratic society. If you don’t like a book don’t read it. But you have no right to deny other people the access to information, ideas and yes, books that you don’t like.
It is so sad that closing three Llano County libraries has been suggested as an answer to this tough problem. That should never even be considered – closing the libraries would punish thousands of county residents.
So if you can’t get your way just shut it down? Yes, that’s very adult of you. It seems some people never grow out of their kindergarten stage. I wonder why people are so scared of books they won’t read anyway? So sad. I suppose next we’ll be burning witches in the town square?
Libraries are a place of refuge for so many- be it a mother with small children wanting to read or play in the children’s area-be it a senior needing guidance on a computer to print out material- be it a person needing to apply for a job online and has no internet- be it a senior to see a familiar face who says hello and asks about their well-being-Small town libraries are more than checking out books. It is one of the last places where people can gather, discuss their lives, the love of books or life, be treated with dignity.
If you don’t like a book, don’t check it out! There are books at bookstores and materials on Amazon that you don’t like. You don’t buy them, right? Books are written to be discussed, to be enjoyed, to have debates. Parents should have the rights to decide books for their children- not commissioners or advisory boards. Leave our libraries open
Officials who can’t tell the difference between books that deal with sexual orientation and pornography need to get out more. Let the professionals who are trained in deciding which books to offer make those decisions. Trust your librarians.
Llano County Commissioners threatened to close it in the beginning. This was handled wrong in so many ways. They should all be voted out next time around.
AMEN!