Alabama Public Library Service fires executive director

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — The Alabama Public Library Service fired their executive director, Dr. Nancy Pack, at a meeting yesterday. This comes after she defended so-called “inappropriate content” in some children’s books.

Board chairman John Wahl, as well as others, discussed what this might mean for readers in the state.

“The library’s not a library of old with just dusty books on the shelf, but we are actively a community center,” said Craig Scott, director of the Gadsden Public Library and president of the Alabama Library Association. “We connect people here.”

Those connections are what matter the most to Scott. Regardless of changes made at the APLS, Scott said he hopes circulation desks can get more funding from the state.

“Sardis will not be as supported like a larger city, like Gadsden,” he explained. “So, that may be the only way that that library director can purchase books for her community. So, state money is very essential to keep libraries functioning the way we should.”

APLS chairman John Wahl said the change was necessary. He said Dr. Pack didn’t align with new policies of the board. One of those policies requires libraries to remove explicit content from children’s sections.

“I think that kind of culminated and the board decided it was time for a new direction,” said Wahl. “It was time for new leadership that agreed with the vision of this board, and was willing to support local libraries in funding, and then make sure that we keep Alabama children safeguarded from anything that parents might consider inappropriate.”

But one organization, Read Freely Alabama, disagrees. They said in a statement that some groups have attacked Dr. Pack for, in part quote, “Protecting Alabama families’ right to access information without discrimination.”

The statement goes on to say, “Age-appropriate sex educational materials are not obscene…”

With new leadership, Wahl said libraries can expect more federal funding. “There’s going to be a shift within the APLS really targeting supporting our local libraries. Making it a commitment that we pass along as much funding as we can to our local libraries and don’t keep it storehouse at the state level,” he said.

Kelyn Ralya will now step in as the interim director.