GILLETTE, Wyo. — John Jackson’s first day as the director of the Campbell County Public Library System is Nov. 1, interim director Brandy Elder announced at the last library board meeting.
Elder said at the board’s Oct. 23 meeting, which was held in Wright, that she received confirmation that Jackson is moving into his new home in the county and all is going well.
Jackson was director of the Foley Public Library in Alabama for nearly 10 years, according to a Campbell County news release. He was director of the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History in Alabama for eight years.
Jackson is taking over for Elder, whom the library board unanimously appointed after firing Terri Lesley, who had worked for the library for decades. Lesley has since made a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to a lawsuit she filed Sept. 27 against three members of the Bennett family. Lesley said in early October that she hopes the appointment works out well for Jackson, the staff and the community.
As the new director, Jackson’s responsibilities will include carrying out the board’s policies, including the collection development policy, which is still undergoing changes.
New changes for policies
The board is seeking public comment on changes to the policy that will be discussed at a 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18 meeting, the county announced. The meeting will take place in the Wyoming Room of the Campbell County Public Library, 2101 South 4-J Road, Gillette. The Notice of Intent to Adopt Rules, the proposed Collection Development Policy and the related sections of the existing Collection Development Policy are available for review here.
Changes include placing a faux book — noting the title, author and new location of the book — in the original shelf location of any book that has been relocated from the Children’s or Young Adult section to a new location in the general collection or removed from the collection, as a result of weeding and the application of the Policy for Protecting Children from Harmful, Sexually Explicit Material in Areas Designated for Minors, the proposal said. A list of the books that were relocated or removed because of the Policy for Protecting Children from Harmful, Sexually Explicit Material in Areas Designated for Minors would be available upon request and updated as weeding occurs. Any patron may challenge the relocation or removal.
Another change is defining “sex act” or “sexual activity.”
Library board member Sage Bear said that Jackson has recommendations for the policy and how to improve relationships between the staff and the board.
Elder said there are also three new library generalists who will be meeting with Human Resources next week to get started in their jobs.
To watch the meeting recording, click here.
