PRINEVILLE, OR -- The Crook County Library board meeting was unusually packed Thursday as the members voted four to one to keep books with LGBTQ+ material in their current location on shelves.

Representatives from Deschutes Public Library, the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Committee, and State Library of Oregon testified on the potential loss of funding and other consequences of labeling or moving books to a separate location.

After some voiced concerns about the material over the past months, Library Services Director April Witteveen offered two proposals: segregate the books or keep them on the same shelves. 

Of the 2 dozen Prineville residents who spoke during the public comment at the meeting, 19 of them favored keeping the books in place. An informal ‘show of hands’ vote taken by the board also showed the majority of those in attendance wanted to keep the status quo.

Witteveen read from a letter from the Crook County Court and shared her own thoughts prior to the public comment period, “The county court hopes the library board’s decision makes our community’s library a welcoming enjoyable place for everyone in the community… I did just also want to thank the community members who have taken the time to write to the court, to write to the library board, to write to myself and library staff; sharing their perspective on this proposed action.”