Officials in Llano County announced the return of several banned books after discussions at a special meeting on Thursday to decide whether to reinstate the books or shut down the library system.
A total of 17 books, many of which include themes relating to race, gender, and sexuality, were removed from libraries in Llano County for what officials described as pornographic and sexually explicit content, per Texas Public Radio. Following the book ban, county residents filed a lawsuit in April 2022, stating, “Book banning offends basic First Amendment principles and strikes at the core of our democracy,” per ABC News.
On March 31, Federal Judge Robert Pitman ordered the books to be returned to libraries, prompting Thursday’s special meeting to determine whether the county would comply with Pitman’s decision or shut down the library system indefinitely.
Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham announced the decision that the libraries would stay open and reinstate the banned books for the time being.
“The library will remain open while we try this in the courts, rather than through the news media,” Cunningham said, per NBC News.
Cunningham also said the county had spent more than $100,000 on legal costs related to the decision and said there would be an appeal to Pitman’s decision, per NBC News.
The meeting was attended by those who supported both sides of the decision, with many protesting outside due to a lack of seating inside the court.
Carolyn Foote is a co-founder of the FReadom Fighters, a group of librarians advocating against the decision to ban books. She said libraries offer more than just books and that shutting them down would significantly affect the community.
“If you look around here, there’s quite a few senior citizens here today protesting. A lot of seniors aren’t necessarily computer savvy. They have all sorts of community events, book clubs, things to help people get out of the house. So, you’re just depriving an entire community,” Foote said, per Texas Public Radio.
County resident James Arno agreed with the decision and said he believed parents should take a bigger role in monitoring what their children are allowed to read.
“It’s not our job to burn this thing to the ground to prevent kids from reading what these people are reading,” Arno said, per CBS 7 News. “It’s the parents’ job to know what their kids are into.”
While many agreed with the decision, many were in opposition. Llano County resident Eva Carter said she disagreed with the decision due to the nature of the content.
“We need to fight it in the court system and get this salacious material removed,” Carter said, per NBC News. “We have God on our side, and we expect he will get the glory when this is said and done.”
Another Llano County resident, Rhonda Schneider, said the library is unsafe for children and should be shut down until certain material is removed.
“It is not a safe space for kids,” said Schneider, per NBC News. “I am for closing the library until we get these books off the shelves.”