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Gwinnett County Board Fires Library DirectorA group of Georgians stepped up its criticism of the management of Gwinnett County Public Library June 5 by launching the GCPL Watch website, which describes more than a decade of opposition by some residents to library policy decisions made during Director Jo Ann Pinder’s 15-year tenure there. Matters came to a boil June 12 when trustees fired Pinder at a tumultuous public meeting, the Gwinnett Daily Post reported June 13.The GCPL Watch site includes a timeline of such incidents as the four-year battle over age-appropriate materials, differences over discard policies, and the board’s 2005 vote to dispose of its DVD collection because of theft—a decision it subsequently reversed. GCPL Watch contributor Denise Varenhorst clashed with Pinder most recently during an altercation in April. Several days before GCPL Watch debuted, trustee Brett Taylor wrote an open letter to “fellow citizens of Gwinnett County” warning that “certain factions intend to take over management of the Gwinnett Public Library System and that board member Phyllis Oxendine “and two other board members (a majority) will vote together to dismiss Ms. Pinder without cause.” Taylor also charged that Oxendine “plans to dismantle the library executive staff.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published his letter June 5. Oxendine declined to respond to Taylor’s letter, which was issued several days after trustees held a closed-door annual performance review of Pinder, saying in the June 6 Journal-Constitution “because [the evaluation] has not been brought to the open meeting.” Board Chair Lloyd Breck denounced Taylor as “unethical.” Emphasizing that “until recently, I felt I had the support of the board,” Pinder told American Libraries June 8, “In my active role in this community, I hear little criticism of the library. In fact praise is the norm.” Posted June 9, 2006; modified June 13, 2006. |
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