Henderson County libraries were merrily ridding their shelves of old books. This is nothing unusual. Director Trina Rushing explained one book told of plastic surgery in the 1980s, another was about policing the Internet before the days of social media. In January, the library will “migrate” to the NC Cardinal network, which has rules for what libraries ought to carry. Shelves are being cleared for new arrivals expected with the transition. The library is also clearing space for meeting space and digital offerings.
But citizens thought something sinister may be lurking. They were aghast to see entire shelves emptied. They feared classics in poetry and literature were making way for modern trash. Citizen Ken Fitch told the commissioners:
We just said the Pledge of Allegiance. One of the books is on the history of the Pledge of Allegiance.
The commissioners ordered the library to cease, for a week, discarding books or sending them to the Friends of the Library fundraiser, which is already in progress. This will give them time to make sure the libricide was not biased against any particular Tea Party.
