A few days ago, it was reported that the Morgan County Public Library in Berkeley Springs, W.Va was refusing to stock the newly released, and much sought after, Bob Woodward book Fear, which takes a critical look at Trump’s time as POTUS. However, following an enormous backlash from local residents, which soon saw the story make headlines, the library has confirmed it will be lending out Fear.
Despite only being published last Friday, Fear has already proven to be one of the biggest books of the year and reportedly sold over 750,000 copies within its first day of sales, it is also the fastest-selling adult book since Harper Lee’s 2015 book Go Set a Watchmen.
However, as The Washington Post reports, Donna Crocker, the director of the Morgan County Public Library in Berkeley Springs, confirmed that the library would not carry Fear, but she refused to explain why. “I don’t want to get in the middle of that,” Crocker said by phone on Friday. “We have other Trump books.”
Many residents of the town, which lies in a county that voted 75% for Trump, were troubled by the library’s decision, and one resident even offered to donate his own copy. Rob Campbell wrote to his local newspaper, the Morgan Messenger, saying, “Recently I called to offer Fear, the new Woodward book, but the library declined my offer saying they wouldn’t be putting books like that on the shelves anymore.” He explained in his letter that he lives only a block from the library and is happy to share his copy with anyone else. “I decided to be a library of one book,” he said.
Director of the office of Intellectual Freedom for the American Library Association, James LaRue, said public libraries should make selection decisions based on the reputation of the publisher and the author, the quality of reviews and the level of community demand.
He explained that he called the Berkeley Springs library and spoke with Crocker. She told him the library carries Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury, but that it has only been checked out a few times.
“Community demand is an interesting question,” LaRue said. “It may well be that there is a majoritarian view on this issue, but that does not mean that a library should sacrifice its obligation to present the other side. Our whole credibility as an institution rests on our willingness to provide access to the most current information in our culture.”
Those disturbed to learn that a public library is refusing to offer out a political book will be pleased to learn that, a few days later, the president of the trustees of the Morgan County Public Library in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., Connie Perry stated that the library would indeed have Fear in stock.
Perry explained that the library board weren’t aware the library director wasn’t allowing Fear to be on shelves until it made the news. “The board didn’t know anything about this,” Perry said. “We have corrected that. The book has been accepted — in fact, two of them.”
“Our policy always has been that we accept books,” she said. “This just got blown out of proportion. It was an employee who . . . wasn’t aware of what she should have done. She should have just said, ‘Thank you.’ The board has corrected that.”
Perry went on to note that the news coverage the book received for not being available has actually increased its demand in the area. “More and more people want to read it now,” she said.
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