New director, board chair selected for the Crawford County Library System

The Crawford County Library System may soon have a new director, and the system’s controversial board chair has been replaced by a board member who wants to move the board in a different direction with respect to oversight.

After almost a year of searching, the system board of directors agreed to offer the position of executive director of the library system to Charlene McDonnough at its first board meeting of the year Tuesday (Jan. 9).

McDonnough was one of two “finalists” interviewed by the board for the position on Nov. 15, but the board did not make a decision at that time with then board chair Tammi Hamby saying the board needed “more time to think about the decision.” The position has been vacant since February 2023.

A special meeting was called for Dec. 5 with an agenda to hire an executive director and an advisor. However, at the meeting Hamby said that rather than hiring a director and advisor, the executive session would need to be to “discuss” hiring for the positions as she had set up zoom interviews with two more applicants.

During Tuesday’s meeting two motions were made to accept the committee’s recommendations to hire McDonnough as the director and to hire Eva White, who has served as the interim director since February, as an advisor to the director for 90 days. The motion to hire White stated that after 90 days, the board would evaluate to see if the position needed to be kept for a longer period of time. Both motions passed unanimously.

Following the action to hire a new director of the library system, the library board voted for Keith Pigg to take over as chair of the board and for Robbie Dyer to be the vice chair. Following his election as board chair, Pigg said it is the duty of the library board to give assistance and encouragement to the director as needed but to respect their authority and expertise in running a library and not to “step on their toes.”

Neither White, Hamby, nor newly elected board chair Pigg could give the exact salary proposed for the position. The position was advertised with a salary of $40,000 to $75,000 a year. Pigg said believes the salary is around $54,000 a year. White is expected to contact McDonnough in the next couple of days to let her know of the board’s decision and offer her the job, PIgg said. If she accepts, he hopes she can start by early February.

McDonnough has a master’s degree in library science from the University of South Carolina-Columbia in Columbia, S.C. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. and an associates degree in information management from Community College of the Air Force at Maxwell AFB, Ala. She has been a program technician for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in Fort Smith since April. She served as branch manager for Society Hill Library in Society Hill, S.C. from March 2012 to December 2022. She was the adult services librarian for the Darlington County Library System in Darlington, S.C. from May 2004 to March 2012. Prior to that she worked as a public school teacher.

Pigg said she was chosen over the other finalist interviewed in November, Cynthia Morrison, because she had more career experience and experience as a library branch manager.

“She seems to have the energy we need,” Pigg said. “She seems very capable and received a very high recommendation from Ms. Eva White.”

Neither of the two applicants set up for interviews on Dec. 5 chose to stay in the running for the position, Pigg said.

CITIZEN COMMENTS
Tuesday night, prior to discussion of hiring an executive director and an advisor, two citizens addressed the board. Bill Prater reminded the board of their duties as a board and proper meeting procedures as dictated by Roberts Rules of Order. In her address to the board, Sheila Bell asked Hamby to resign from the board.

“Tammy, you came onto this board with an agenda you announced at the quorum court meetings and at library board meetings,” Bell said.”(Your) agenda has cost our county taxpayers to date over $200,000 in legal fees that we don’t get to use for our senior centers or public parks or public roads or public buildings or public employees or public libraries … because of your agenda.”

Hamby did not respond to Bell’s comments.

Under pressure from those opposing LBGTQ+ books, Crawford County Library Director Diedre Gryzmala resigned in February with a $40,687.50 severance deal. The controversy began in November 2022 when Hamby and her husband Dr. Jeffrey Hamby, a Van Buren family physician, spearheaded a campaign against LBGTQ+ books being available through the library system, and Grzymala’s book display of LBGTQ+ children’s books at the Van Buren Public Library.

Hamby was appointed to the Crawford County Library Board by Crawford County Judge Chris Keith and named the board chair after Jamie Balkman, former chair, and two other board members resigned after a contentious Quorum Court meeting in December 2022.

LEGAL CHALLENGES
On June 2, several Arkansas libraries and library associations filed a lawsuit in the Fayetteville Division of the Western District Court of Arkansas against Crawford County officials and state prosecuting attorneys to overturn Act 372. The Act allows books in public libraries to be banned or relocated. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Brooks granted a preliminary injunction July 29 against Act 689 implementation, which was set to go into effect Aug. 1.

The June 2 lawsuit was the second to be filed attempting to block libraries from censoring books. Attorney Brian Meadors filed a federal complaint May 30 against book censorship actions by the Crawford County Public Library. The Crawford County Library has in recent months approved the removal and relocation of books largely because of objections from citizens to LGBTQ content.

In December the Crawford County Quorum Court approved another $18,000 for special legal fees to Little Rock-based PPGMR, the law firm hired to represent the county in the two lawsuits, for legal fees in October. Crawford County Judge Chris Keith said they “hope this enough to pay November and December invoices” from PPGMR.

So far, Crawford County has spent and/or budgeted more than $260,000 on legal bills related to the actions by Hamby and others to censor or relocate books.