Saline County Library director fired after months of controversy around banned books

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The director of the Saline County Library is without a job Monday following months of controversy surrounding the debate over the materials available on library shelves.

The communications director for the county confirmed Monday that Patricia Hector is no longer employed by Saline County or the Saline County Library.

According to Hector, she was notified by Saline County Judge Matt Brumley's administrative assistant on Monday at 9:10am about meeting with her at 9:30am. She said not soon after the meeting began Brumley fired her.

"Brumley and the HR director came and said my services were no longer needed.

Hector told KATV being let go was a sigh of relief. Since 2016, Hector was the Saline County Library director until Monday.

"It's been very stressful, it's been hard to do my job, but the staff we've just kept plugging along and I always thought any day now I'll be fired," Hector said.

Hector's future at the library has been in question since the Saline County Quorum Court voted to pass a resolution to remove books they deem inappropriate from the children's section.

After the resolution passed, Hector was defiant in saying the library had no plans to follow the court's recommendation citing her belief that their intention was to "erase people of color and marginalize LGBTQ people." She said the library doesn't have any obscene materials on the shelves of the children's section.

"What they did is terrible for this county," she said. "It's none of their business what books people read and since they challenged three of them, one of them was about race and two of them were about LBGTQ."

Arkansas lawmakers in March passed an amendment criminalizing the distribution of "obscene content" in libraries.

“It’s a perverse world when we’re talking about trying to criminalize librarians,” said Nate Coulter, executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock.

A coalition including CALS filed a federal lawsuit in June challenging the law which took effect Aug. 1.

The lawsuit said the fear of prosecution under Arkansas’ law could prompt libraries and booksellers to no longer carry titles that could be challenged.

“Act 372 forces bookstores and libraries to self-censor in way antithetical to their core purposes,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit comes as lawmakers in an increasing number of conservative states are pushing for measures making it easier to ban or restrict access to books. The number of attempts to ban or restrict books across the U.S. last year was the highest in the 20 years the American Library Association has been tracking such efforts.

In August, the Saline County quorum court passed an ordinance to allow Brumley to oversee the library board, but they did not fire Hector when it became law. According to Hector, despite the billboards, months of scrutiny, and 90 FOIA requests, her staff fulfilled their duties.

"I've said before I'd rather be fired for upholding the first amendment instead of sued for violating it," Hector said.

Hector said the Saline County Republican women and the Republican Party in the county have made the last six months very difficult. She believes both entities were behind the charge of getting her fired.

"Shame on you, you made it personal, it should not have been personal," she said. "All of those pastors telling their members to go complain about the library, you didn't come talk to me first. Nobody pretty much ever came and talk to the library staff."

Hector told KATV after 38 years of public service she has no desire to make a return. She said there will be legal action taken on this matter.

"You can't fire somebody for upholding the law, and I have an attorney," Hector said.

Leigh Espey, the library's manager, has been named interim director, the county spokesperson said. They added that an immediate search is underway to replace Hector, but did not share why she was no longer an employee.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.