A statement from 4 members of the Library Advisory Board

June 26, 2023 - Four members of the Erie County Public Library Advisory Board issued the following public statement today regarding the actions of the library's executive director:

"As county executive-appointed and county council-approved Erie County Public Library Advisory Board members, residents of Erie County, and frequent patrons of the Erie County Public Library system, we stand with the families, LGBTQIA+ organizations, and other members of the Erie community who are disappointed by the actions of the library's executive director; who hope to see the original Pride month book display returned to its original location; and who are worried about how library materials celebrating diverse communities will be presented moving forward.

We were alarmed to learn that the library's executive director asked staff to relocate a Pride Month book display in response to complaint(s). While we do not believe the actions of the executive director were consciously intended to be harmful, we do believe that their actions marginalized vulnerable members of our community and are not in accordance with the American Library Association's statement, "Libraries can serve LGBTQIA+ people by ensuring that this population is reflected in library collections and provided with services at the library. As a population that is often the subject of discrimination and harassment, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people can benefit from the access to information which libraries provide and the sense of community which library programs can help foster. It is important to note that the LGBTQIA+ population is diverse, spanning age groups, ethnic and racial groups, socio-economic groups, and personal identities." (https://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/librariesrespond/Services-LGBTQ) The executive director's actions may stoke false narratives about the LGBTQIA+ community and may discourage those who identify as LGBTQIA+ or are questioning their sexual and gender identity, particularly youth, from seeing the library as a safe space to feel accepted."

Quyen Aoh (District 7), ; Adam Groves (At-large), ; Kara Murphy (At-large), ; Ann Rosenthal (District 2)