John Wahl and an Alabama Public Library Update

ALCAP President Greg Davis visited with Alabama Public Library Serve (APLS) Board chairman John Wahl on Priority Talk Radio to review this past Thursday’s (March 20th) significant meeting, during which one library in Fairhope was defunded and the APLS Director was terminated immediately.

Wahl started the conversation by talking about his responsibility to listen to parents across the state on these issues. Explicit content has no place in children’s sections in libraries.

“Today, there were two key changes. The first: [It was the] first time we had to hold a library accountable. We had a library that was refusing to remove the sexually explicit content from their children’s section… [W]e removed their state funding today, and their state funding will be removed until they are in compliance,” Wahl said.

Regarding the second change: “Today, the Board took needed action to say ‘no, we need a Director who is going to share our values, who is going to put forth our same commitment to the people of Alabama, stand up for what we believe in, stand up for our values that we stand for,’ and so we removed the Director of the APLS today,” Wahl said.

The APLS Board now has an Interim Director.

Greg Davis and John Wahl shared about how much the Alabama library situation has changed up until this point. A few years ago, a parent raising concerns about explicit material in the children’s section of libraries may not have gotten very far. With strong leadership coming from the state government and other places, however, tangible work is being done.

To listen to their entire conversation, click here.