Christian County Library

The entire staff of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services were put on leave Monday. The Institute is the largest funder of cultural institutions in the U.S. It gives money to the states to pass on to local communities in the form of grants. It most recently gave Missouri just over $3 million.

Legal troubles for the Christian County Library’s Board of Trustees have prompted disagreements about how to pay for the legal defense of three board members and points raised during discussion of that topic at a recent Board meeting have gotten notice from the Christian County Commission.

During a special meeting Friday, February 7, the Board of Trustees developed a Request for Quote for legal help. The Board said the district's legal counsel advised them to get independent assistance due to a conflict of interest.

The suit was filed in September 2024. It names the Christian County Library District and Trustee Janis Hagen as plaintiffs and Trustees Echo Schneider, John Garrity and Diana Brazeale as defendants.

In the last year, the library district has seen the resignation of one board president and its previous executive director, as the board and district face ongoing public calls for book labeling and removal.

Executive Director Renee Brumett has given 30 days' notice to the library district's Board of Trustees. It is the latest shakeup in district leadership following years of calls to label and or remove some library materials.

The commission made the appointment during a meeting thursday morning. The Library Board has struggled to respond to almost two years of calls to label, restrict and/or remove certain materials. New trustee, Mary Hernandez De Carl has been among the members of the public speaking regular at board meetings.

The proposed changes would, among other things, take agenda setting power away from the library’s Executive Director.

Allyson Tuckness was voted out as president in August. That vote was overturned in September and has led to a pending lawsuit. The library’s board of trustees has faced more than two years of public comments calling for labeling and/or sequestering of LGBTQ+ materials.

The suit, filed September 23, claims the Board's controversial August election was never valid and seeks to prevent its three defendants from assuming officer positions until the next regularly scheduled officer election in December.