<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0vT6z9_17PsXfkz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0vT6z9_17PsXfkz00" width="1200" height="600" >FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) - Two members of the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s Library and Literacy Commission have resigned this year, citing communication issues between library leadership and the nine-person group.The commission advises the library director and is tasked with hearing appeals to library decisions when community members challenge materials. “The commission is the ultimate arbiter beyond the library director to make those decisions if there’s some dispute about materials or the display cases in the library,” said current commission chair Maida Buckley. At its Thursday meeting, the borough assembly is scheduled to hear a memorandum from Mayor Grier Hopkins about the resignation of Charles Simmons, who formally notified the mayor of his resignation in November. Simmons said a variety of factors led to his resignation.Having served on the commission for more than 15 years, Simmons said he feels less valued by the current library administration. He also specifically mentioned the reduction of the commission’s meeting schedule from once a month to quarterly, by decision of the assembly.“That was very disruptive, I think, universally, for everyone,” he said, arguing the change hurt the commission’s ability to respond to complaints from library patrons.That development, combined with adding the borough clerk to the meetings and its relocation to the Juanita Helms Administration Center, impacted its effectiveness, according to Simmons. Hopkins said the presence of a borough clerk and the movement of the meetings were enacted by the borough assembly in order to be in compliance with Alaska’s Open Meetings Act. On the other hand, the mayor said the assembly’s decision to make the commissions meet quarterly, rather than monthly, has “really hampered the ability for good dialogue and problem solving to happen on almost every board.”Hopkins said his office is working to revitalize the borough’s boards and commissions, “everything from changing the topics and expanding the things that they can talk about to allowing them to meet more regularly so they can have better communication between borough staff and the commissioners to better solve problems.” In June, commissioner Robert Hannon also submitted a letter of resignation to the borough, saying he believes “the current library leadership regards the commission as little more than an inconvenience.” His letter went on to highlight the commission’s role in “shielding past administrations from accusations of political bias or agenda-driven decision-making,” arguing that a loss of relevance for the commission could make the body not able to respond to challenges facing the library system, including attempts by political entities to restrict access to information at the library, including book bans. Hopkins called the two resignations unfortunate and said he understands their frustration with the new structure of the borough’s commissions. He claimed the borough’s libraries are the most used, per capita, of any library system in the country, with a third of the community using the facilities each month. Buckley echoed Simmons’ frustration with the quarterly meeting schedule, describing communication between the commission and the borough as “quite tense and difficult.”She called commissions like hers, which is appointed by the mayor and approved by the borough assembly, a democratic necessity. “When we have taxpayer institutions that are funded by taxpayers, as much input from the public is what is desirable,” she explained. Buckley joined the commission in 2019, which then met at the library before meetings moved to the assembly chambers. According to Buckley, commissioners used to automatically receive information about patron comments at their meetings, in order to see if these concerns needed to be addressed. Now, she said, “We’re told that we have to apply, submit a form to get those comments, rather, and saying that it’s not under our purview.” The commission would also receive regular reports about the Fairbanks Library Foundation, which coordinates fundraising and other activities for libraries in the borough. Buckley said they are now being told “it’s not under our purview to receive information about the foundation,” a development Mayor Hopkins attributed to the assembly from a couple years ago trying to make meetings follow a stricter agenda.“If we don’t receive information, how can you work on any policy?” she asked, arguing that the commission is not able to achieve its mission without communication.According to Hopkins, his administration is working to improve communication between the commission and library staff. “We all love libraries. We want them to work together,” Buckley said, later adding, “We really do feel that we’re the eyes and the ears of the community.”Hopkins said applicants have already been found for the two open commission seats, and these are scheduled to be considered for approval by the borough assembly at Thursday’s meeting.See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com</div></body>

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FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) - Two members of the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s Library and Literacy Commission have resigned this year, citing communication issues between library leadership and the nine-person group. The commission advises the library director and is tasked with hearing appeals to library decisions when community members challenge...

Fairbanks library commission faces resignations over communication issues

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FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) - Two members of the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s Library and Literacy Commission have resigned this year, citing communica

Fairbanks library commission faces resignations over communication issues

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