Malia Riggs – Elmore Autauga News
Photos by Malia Riggs and Jackie Nix
The Autauga-Prattville Library Board met for a special board meeting Thursday where the Board terminated Library Director Andrew Foster for allegedly revealing what the Board called confidential information to the press.
The Board went into executive session as soon as the meeting was called to order, and less than 20 minutes later, the Board voted unanimously for Foster’s termination. Library Chairman Ray Boles then told Foster he would be collecting Foster’s keys to the library and all passwords before he left the building. He then told Foster he could collect his personal items from his office via a phone call Monday morning.
Boles went on to address the media, stating he and the Board will not give comment, and handed a written statement which read:
“Andrew Foster was terminated from the position as director of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library for revealing confidential information to the press and violation of criminal law. Foster was terminated via a vote by the library board of trustees in an emergency meeting held March 14.”
Allegedly Foster shared a FOIA request with Jacob Holmes of the Political Reporter. A FOIA request according to the U.S Department of Treasury states, “The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives any person the right to request access to records.”
However, requests do have limitations such as non-agency records and personal records, and it is unclear at this time if this request falls under any jurisdiction or criminal law.
“I was never directly told that that information was not to go out, and so I shared the information that was included in the request (records request), and again I’m not trying to hide. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve said or done. Open sharing has been my policy since I started this position in July,” Foster said.
“There’s been a lack of communication. What was on the website is as much information as I was told. There are questions if there is communication happening behind the scenes. We went back (in executive session) and I was immediately told I was being fired, or given the option to resign. That was not a decision made, the vote was not done, and I was told this is happening,” Foster said.
Foster went on to state that he’s not surprised by the actions taken by the Board today but he’s incredibly grateful for the love and support that he’s felt throughout Autauga County.
In attendance at the meeting were many members of Read Freely Alabama, which member and one of the founders, Angie Hayden gave a statement to the press after the meeting concluded.
“This all raises questions how the dedicated library staff can possibly function successfully. Not only has this new board made it impossible for Mr. Foster to follow the tenants of constitutional librarianship but made it impossible to follow their own policies. This lack of clarity has created an oppressive work environment, in which underpaid staff must fear retaliation and intimidation, which we saw today,” Hayden said.
Hayden then went on to ask for the reinstatement of Foster and for the City of Prattville and county attorneys to review, investigate and take action in response to the events that transpired tonight and leading up Foster’s termination.
“He’s been fired for doing what is right and what his ethics demanded him to do,” Hayden said.
Also in attendance was Matthew Layne, the President of the Alabama Library Association, which is Alabama’s chapter of the national American Library Association.
“To be clear, there aren’t sexually explicit books in our children’s sections in Alabama libraries. I would widen that to say that there aren’t sexually explicit books in any libraries in the U.S. As librarians, to us, it’s most important that families get to decide what they read, and not people like Clean up Alabama or Moms for Liberty. The fact that they would question his character is despicable, and shameful. Shame on the Library Board today,” Layne said.
Layne went on to describe a library as a safe place for anyone to be able to enter and enjoy and stated that books within a library should represent the community that library serves.
“The Prattville Library Board, the policies that they’ve written, any librarian worth their salt would be aghast at these new policies. They are not representative and so vaguely written that pretty much any book on the shelves of the Prattville library children’s section could go against the policy that they’ve written,” Layne said.
“Their library director responding to a FOIA request is not criminal activity. I think we’re dealing with people that don’t really have a firm grasp on legality, literacy and I don’t know if any of them have any background in education or librarianship. From what I’ve seen, that seems pretty doubtful,” Layne said.
Following the Board meeting, members of Read Freely Alabama took to the Prattville Fountain area in downtown for a silent protest of the Board’s actions, Jackie Nix a member of Read Freely Alabama confirmed.
This is an ongoing and developing story, and updates will follow as they are released.
