The Alabama Public Library Service once again canceled its scheduled executive board meeting that had been set for Thursday, citing a lack of quorum.
This is the second time since the board’s last meeting on March 17 that a scheduled meeting has been canceled for lack of quorum. The meeting has been rescheduled for August 20, five months since the last meeting.
John Wahl, chair of the APLS board and Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, said that APLS board meetings are frequently rescheduled in the summer months due to the schedules of board members and that this is nothing out of the ordinary.
But the cancellation drew criticism from some stakeholders, including Read Freely Alabama, the group leading opposition to the board’s recent changes blocking transgender books from youth sections.
“Read Freely Alabama is deeply concerned that the Alabama Public Library Service has now cancelled two consecutive quarterly board meetings. Items on the agenda, including sample policies for the recent code changes libraries must follow to receive funding and the hiring of a new assistant director, are time-sensitive, and neglecting quarterly meetings leaves our libraries without necessary guidance,” Read Freely leadership said in a statement. “Repeated cancellations raise serious questions about this board’s ability to fulfill its duties in a timely and effective manner under Chairman Wahl’s watch. Our libraries need steady leadership, not a board that creates unnecessary upheaval for political purposes and then abandons libraries to deal with uncertainty in the aftermath. Alabama’s libraries deserve a Board that is fully engaged, focused, and committed to carrying out its role in an effective and nonpartisan fashion, without delay.”
Wahl did not answer which four members had signaled that they would be unavailable and thus unable to make a quorum, and APR could not reach most board members before publication.
Amy Minton did respond to APR, confirming that she had planned to attend the meeting. She said that the funeral of Florence native and Books-A-Million founder Charles Caine Anderson Sr. may have been a conflict for multiple members.
Mandy Warren, director of the Eufaula Carnegie Library, told APR the cancellation of two consecutive board meetings shows a lack of prioritization for the role.
“This board is calling the shots when it comes to our state funding and LSTA grants, and we rely on them to make decisions and give guidance about these things that are vital to our communities,” Warren said. “When they can’t pull together a quorum of four out of seven people twice in a row now, it sends the message that our priorities are not their priorities.”
