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Libraries’ Denial Of Anti-Clinton Book Draws Frustration

Ann Lhota, of Newberry, Florida, holds up the book and graphic-novel versions of "Clinton Cash" outside Alachua County's Newberry library on Monday. Lhota said she's upset by the county library system's refusal to purchase the graphic novel. (Cecilia Mazanec/WUFT News)
Ann Lhota, of Newberry, Florida, holds up the book and graphic-novel versions of "Clinton Cash" outside Alachua County's Newberry library on Monday. Lhota said she's upset by the county library system's refusal to purchase the graphic novel. (Cecilia Mazanec/WUFT News)

Ann Lhota said she’s been waiting on Alachua County’s libraries to purchase a book for 40 days.

In mid-August, the Newberry resident requested that the Alachua County Library District purchase “Clinton Cash: A Graphic Novel.”

The graphic novel — which sits at No. 6 on the New York Times' best-seller list for hard-cover graphic books — is a story about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton that suggests she has used her governmental power to achieve personal gain.

It’s inspired by the book “Clinton Cash,” and because of the upcoming presidential election, Lhota stressed the importance of the related graphic novel’s content.

But soon after she made the request, it was denied by members of the library system’s staff charged with reviewing purchase requests.

Lhota said she offered to write a check to the library to pay for the book, but she was still denied.

After the denial, the library district purchased “A Child’s First Book of Trump,” a satirical picture book that mocks Clinton’s Republican opponent, Donald Trump, Lhota said.

So now she said she’s angry.

“We want the people to make the decision,” Lhota said of the library district’s purchases.

She said she’s talked to 20 to 30 people who have also requested the graphic novel.

“If you do not permit one specific book and one specific title,” she added, “then what you’re doing is not allowing the people who pay taxes to make the decision to freely read what they want to read.”

But Shaney Livingston, the library district’s director, said “Clinton Cash” — the book but not the graphic novel — is already available to the public.

The graphic novel specifically hasn’t been purchased because it’s a retelling of the original book, Livingston said. Alachua County’s libraries have 11 copies of the book in four different formats: print, e-audio, e-book and CD

“What we try to do is make sure that we have a balanced and fair collection,” she said of the district’s collection policy manual.

The district started allowing patrons to make purchase requests a few years ago, and in the last two years, it has purchased 35 of Lhota's 39 requests, Livingston said.

“Not all libraries allow their patrons to be able to put in purchase requests,” she said.

Though public libraries are taxpayer-funded government entities, they aren’t obligated to buy a book in all its forms, said Clay Calvert, director of the Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project at the University of Florida. (In the instance of "Clinton Cash," those forms would be a textual book and a graphic novel.)

Yet a library cannot discriminate against a book because of its political viewpoint, Calvert said.

“The big rule that would be at play here is that the public libraries would have to be viewpoint-neutral when it comes to the selection of books,” he said.

If the content is the same in both versions of "Clinton Cash," the requirement of content neutrality is most likely satisfied, he said.

Meanwhile, Lhota said she has continued to push for the book's purchase by emailing city officials.

“It’s called freedom of speech and intellectual freedom,” she said. “We as a community want to read this book.”

Cecilia is a reporter for WUFT News and can be contacted by emailing mazanecc@ufl.edu.
Maggie is a reporter who can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.