Over 50 applications have been received to fill two seats for the newly contentious Washoe County Library Board, apparently delaying a vote on new trustees.
Applicant information is not yet available to the public, and more information is expected to be given when county commissioners meet again publicly on August 22nd when the vote was initially expected.
One trustee, Ann Medaille resigned in July, while commissioners voted 3-2 against reappointing board chair Amy Ghilieri to a second four-year term. The swing vote was Clara Andriola, recently appointed to her seat by Republican Governor Joe Lombardo.
The remaining three trustees are Lea Moser, Al Rogers and Frank Perez.
“I'm no longer able to continue as a member of the library board of trustees,” Medaille said in a message to library staff. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve for the past year and I wish the library and the board all the best in the future.”
Once the library board is full again, it will vote itself on its next chair, probably at its Sept. 20 meeting.
Libraries have become polarizing in the country and in Northern Nevada in recent years, with social conservatives opposing drag queen story hours, such as the ones held locally, and community members from both sides of the political divide opposing certain books made available to children.
While expressing dismay concerning her removal, Ghilieri explained that the library board does not oversee programming of events or which books the library selects but rather the overall budget, strategic planning, branch improvements and the annual evaluation of the director, currently Jeff Scott.
At the most recent mid August County Commissioners meeting, Washoe County Collection Development Manager Debi Stears “presented an overview of how library materials are curated.”
A county press release indicated “there have been only two formal challenges in recent history, that of a DVD about Scientology in 2015, and that of the book “Johnny the Walrus” this year.”
That’s a 2022 children’s picture book by conservative political commentator Matt Walsh which compares being transgender to pretending to be a walrus. It was moved from Amazon’s LGBTQ+ category to the Political and Social Commentary category and removed by Target from its online bookstore, with some commentators calling the book “hateful,” “transphobic” and “anti-transgender.”
It remains available for sale at Amazon and on the shelf at the Downtown Reno Library.
In its last meeting, the Board also accepted a $75,000 state of Nevada grant for the Washoe County Library System to buy a bookmobile. “This grant will allow the Washoe County Library System to purchase a van to be outfitted with shelving, circulating library materials, Chromebooks, and tablets to be checked out and used by Washoe County residents, particularly in rural and isolated areas,” the press release indicated.