OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The Patmos Library in Jamestown Township gained national attention for facing tension over books featuring LGBTQ+ topics.
And they faced potential closure because of a lack of funding. It took three separate millage votes for funding to finally be renewed. Now the local community spot is closed, but not for those reasons.
The library's front doors were locked during scheduled open hours on Friday.
‘Due to staff shortages the library is temporarily closed,’ one sign read on the front door.
“I loved my job. I loved that job, but part of why I love that job was you guys, and working with you guys,” Jordan Kazen said.
Kazen and her four other now-former Patmos Library co-workers are coming to terms with a decision they say they didn’t want to make—they all quit.
“We're really, really upset and disappointed with the outcome today. This was definitely not what we all were expecting today,” Kazen said.
The five shared with FOX 17 that they felt limited by the board in doing the jobs they were hired to do.
“There's been a lot of conflict between staff and library board members that has been making us feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, and not a place that we all want to work,” Kylie Luciano said.
Luciano was the former children’s librarian who worked to set up story time for kids.
“I was prepping for summer reading before today, so we were really excited about that too,” Luciano said. “ I'm just completely devastated about today.”
The six board members—Alaina Kwiatkowski, Betty Besteman, Sonja DeJong, Tahnee Mitchell, Donna Rotman, and Bridgette Leyendecker—were elected to serve two years this past November election.
FOX 17 emailed and called board members, but we haven't heard back from them. A statement was posted to the front door while we were at the library Friday evening.
Dear Patrons,
We want to share an important update regarding our library operations. Recently, the majority of our staff made the decision to resign unexpectedly. While this change has presented some challenges, we are working diligently to ensure a thoughtful and stable transition.
As we regroup and rebuild our team, the library will be temporarily closed for a short period of time. This brief closure will allow us to ensure a smooth reopening and to prepare for a strong kickoff to our Summer Reading Program, which remains a top priority.
We know how much the library means to our community, and we are committed to restoring full services as soon as possible. Please stay connected with us through our website for ongoing updates, including reopening plans and summer programming details.
Thank you for your understanding, your patience, and your continued support.
Sincerely,
The Patmos Library Board
“I don't understand. So I would like to have answers just like you folks,” said library patron Leslie Hartuniewicz.
The note of the closure caught several avid readers by surprise.
“We're very disappointed. We don't want our library to close. We love the staff there. We want them to stay there. So we're very disappointed,” said Rosey Wiersema, another library patron.
These former staff members are sharing that they’re going to miss their community the most.
“We just want to tell our community that we appreciate you so much,” Luciano said.
It’s unclear when the library will reopen. The former staff members said they were five of the eight employees there. The board is scheduled to meet during its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
