Not Yet a Closed Book: Former employees contend more restrictions at library not good for town’s youth, other patrons

Sylvia Wester and her husband are facing financial hardships after she was abruptly terminated from her job at the Glenrock Library in early May. Because of this, and her husband not working for a time due to seasonal employment, the couple are facing possible foreclosure on their home.

Life after termination is one of the hardest things she’s ever had to go through, she said as she looks back on the months since the upheaval at the library branch which she and others contended is still ongoing and impacting the community as well as the employees who left and even those left behind.
Library Director Mary Lin Maner disputes those comments, saying use has stayed steady or increased in both libraries, but she declined to discuss personnel, past or present.

Meanwhile, the Westers have also faced regular food insecurity without a steady income. Wester has also applied for 150 jobs in eight months – all to no avail.

“We would not have been able to eat if it weren’t for the free food pantry that Erin (Wolfley) set up in the library. It fed us multiple times a week for the entire summer and fall until my husband could secure a different job with a better company. I have also not been successful in finding gainful employment despite (dedicated efforts to do so),” she stated.

Wester was the first of three employees fired without notice or reason given. Former Glenrock Library Manager Jennifer Kofoed and Circulation Clerk Erin Wolfley were the second and third.

Wolfley, while not being told anything specific outright, suspects she was fired because her teenage daughter had earlier posted on social media about the high temperatures in the Glenrock Library (in the 90s) and the cooling system, part of an ongoing problem with the building’s HVAC system not working.

WOLFLEY
Wolfley on Dec. 10 said in the six months since her termination from the Glenrock Library by Maner, she’s “still hearing from friends and even casual acquaintances about new changes quietly happening at the library that have them upset and frustrated.”

Under discussion are the library’s new policies to not allow children under 12 downstairs without an adult, nor anyone under 18 is allowed into the family room or to use computers in the lower level without being accompanied by an adult. The youth often go there to get food from the food pantry for an after school snack, Wolfley said, but anyone under 18 must ask a librarian for help to utilize it. (The policy applies to both libraries, Maner said later.)

“The consensus is that the library isn’t friendly and welcoming anymore, or even stable — the full time circulation clerk they hired to replace me quit after just a few weeks, and now the teen librarian is stepping away as well,” Wolfley said.

“Kids under 12 aren’t allowed downstairs anymore without a parent or guardian, which means many have essentially lost access to computers, the food cupboard, the family room — even the movies, audiobooks and non-fiction.

“As a parent, I find it frankly insulting that kids under 12 are now barred from going downstairs without a parent or guardian. It’s a violation of their rights – and the absolute opposite of what our library has always stood for. My first day on the job, (then-director) Cindy Moore outlined the mission of Converse County Library, and the one thing that stuck the strongest in my mind was when she said that a patron is a patron, regardless of age,” she said.

“And, there is still no communication with the community when the HVAC is down. The heat has been out for weeks again, including during that cold snap at the end of November,” she contended.

She’s also been told that some reservations to use the meeting hall have been cancelled due to the HVAC system getting replaced next year, she said.

“That’s great news obviously, but again, there’s no communication with the community, just uncertainty about whether we’ll even have access to our own library though the winter. Glenrock deserves the library we all loved, the one that genuinely welcomed people – especially our kids. How long will it be before the current leadership drives away the last few caring librarians we had, along with any new ones?

“I may never get the opportunity to return to the library as a staff member, but I will continue doing everything I can to help restore the library to the place we all loved, and the place that was a great place to work,” Wolfley stated.

Wolfley was hired by Elevate Glenrock in October as their director.

KOFOED

During a recent trip to the library, Kofoed noticed the sign at the top of the stairwell stating no one under the age of 12 is allowed in the basement.

“While I don’t know the reasons for this new policy, I find it disheartening that our young patrons are being barred from access to half of the library building (and) the resources housed downstairs. While I was serving as the branch manager, we had implemented a lot of resources in the basement that were geared specifically for our younger patrons . . . I’m sorry to see that these resources are no longer accessible to our youngest patrons unless they are accompanied by a parent. The basement was commonly used by youth, many of whom come to the library accompanied by an older sibling. It was nice for these young patrons to be welcome on the same floor of the library as their siblings, who were often spending time in our teen space, which is designated for those who are in sixth through 12th grades,” she explained.

Libraries are a “third space,” Kofoed said, a space other than home and work/school, where people can spend time safely.

“Libraries are often one of the first public spaces where children can develop independence and venture away from home to spend time learning, using resources or attending events and programming tailored to their age group. While I was working at the library we always strove to help patrons of all ages feel welcome. Making specific services or areas of a library off-limits could have a negative effect on our youth and on our community. This being said, libraries don’t act in place of parents and if library behavioral policies are not followed sometimes additional restrictions are put in place,” Kofoed stated.

She said she strongly encourages parents to visit libraries with their children. It will encourage a love of reading, while teaching them to learn to be respectful in public buildings as they find their own niche in the library.

Now, Kofoed is relocating across the state to continue working in the field she loves.

OUTREACH CONCERNS
Community Action of Converse County Prevention Specialist and Director Dee Bradshaw, said from a professional standpoint, “the biggest piece of this issue is to have safe and protective locations in place for the children and teens in our county.”

Bradshaw said children here are struggling.

“They go to school, then many go to the libraries because they are safe there. At the Glenrock Library, the staff was warm and welcoming to the youth. They were able to get a snack . . .  and have meaningful conversations with staff. Our youth, our vulnerable teens and preteens now have no one they can trust. Their three trusted adults are gone. Yes, there are others there and trust can be rebuilt, but from my standpoint we have broken those links,” Bradshaw said. “. . . with the library areas in Glenrock shut down to only visit (with a parent) they no longer can go there alone and utilize it as a safe space.”

Bradshaw said she was at a library board meeting in October where she was kicked out for asking questions about the HVAC system and staffing.

“I started . . . asking questions. I said they spent $20,000 on each of these HVAC units, what’s going on? What happens now? The library’s heating and cooling system is still not working. They’ve been without heat now for how many weeks? I asked, ‘How many employees are we going to lose?’ (Board President Michelle Moe) said, ‘We are not talking about employees.’

“. . . Lots of employees are having to work in this environment. I said, ‘We’re probably going to lose more patrons. You guys (the board) didn’t address the HVAC system. You’re letting patrons and employees suffer because of this.’ I was told, ‘We are not talking on this and you can leave. You need to leave or I will call law enforcement.’ The (board) wanted me to leave, I said ‘because you don’t want me to talk, because you know what is going on is wrong,’” she said.
Bradshaw said she is concerned that employees are scared to say anything, including about the new restrictions.

“If you can’t see your teens because they cannot come downstairs . . . if we have a circulation librarian down there, and (someone) in the teen room, then they have supervision.

“I’d much rather see our kids in the library, playing with LEGOS, doing arts and crafts, using the computers, than doing other not-so-good things, like drugs and being out on the street. In Converse County, our kids and our adult women are struggling. Our young families are not dealing well with the economic situation going on,” she said.

“I am neutral in this. I want safe and protected places for our kids to go. . . Then it gets ripped out from under them. . . where do they go? What do we do in Glenrock? What in the world does (the director) want? What does she see the future of our libraries being?”

WESTER
Wester had worked as a part-time circulation clerk for just over one year when she was fired without notice May 5.

“I sat down with (Kofoed and Maner) in the break room and asked what was going on. (Maner) said, ‘We have decided to terminate your employment immediately.’ I looked at (Kofoed) in shock and asked, ‘Did you know about this?’ All she seemed to be able to do was shake her head . . .”

“I then asked them on what grounds I was to be fired and (Maner) pulled this strip of paper out from underneath her phone, like she was checking her notes, and she read it off, ‘It is due to not following circulation policy and because we have not seen any improvement since you were talked to in September.’ I said, ‘What policy? I have had no one-on-one meetings or formal warnings about my conduct, written or verbal, of any kind from (Kofoed) in the full year I’ve worked here.”

Wester said Maner just repeated the same statement.

Wester said her heart was “absolutely shattered” over losing the best job and coworkers she’d ever had.

“My husband and I also donated over $400 in Christmas lights, shepherd’s hooks, extension cords, timers, cord safety covers, tools and the lighted train display last year out of our own pocket. We also assembled it off of the clock on my days off.”

Now, Wester is worried there is only one Glenrock resident on the library board. The rest live in Douglas.

“While I’d like to believe the whole board would be impartial and take the entire county’s needs and patrons’ concerns into consideration, I’d feel a lot more confident if two people out of the five were from Glenrock. These members are appointed by the county commissioners. I feel like Glenrock is under-represented.”

She’s also concerned about tracking on books being checked out.

“If purposeful or unintentional re-shelving of materials/making certain sections of the library harder to access is occurring this leads to poor circulation or ‘use’ of materials, which creates a false low circulation designation in the system,  that then directs circulation staff and branch managers to pull these materials from our libraries during our regular weeding out of materials. This undemocratically removes access to materials without any knowledge, oversight or input from the community we serve – (affecting) our patrons’ right to the freedom to read . . . (this) undermines the role of parents and guardians to determine what their children can access . . . and they would likely have no idea that it is happening until it’s too late.”

MANER RESPONDS
Maner said the library board is working through the process of purchasing a new HVAC system for the Glenrock Library.

“The goal is to begin installation in early 2026. In the meantime, the staff continue to provide services to the community while temporary measures are used as needed to manage indoor conditions. The library remains open, and patron use has continued. Final costs and installation timelines will be shared once the purchasing process is complete,” she wrote in an email Dec. 15.

In regards to “changes to youth access to certain library spaces,” Maner said, “The Converse County libraries follow consistent guidelines for youth behavior and space usage across both branches. The teen area is designated for students in (sixth to 12th) or 12-17 years of age. Recently, additional processes were needed due to disruptive behavior. These guidelines were put in place to ensure the safety of all patrons and to protect library services. No specific incident information can be shared.”

According to Maner, the library has also expanded its tween programming, which has seen strong participation and positive engagement.

When asked about the departure of the teen librarian in Glenrock, Maner said personnel matters are confidential. “As such, the library cannot disclose information regarding the reasons for any staff member’s departure.”

Maner also disputed the comments about usage: “Glenrock Library continues to see strong participation in children’s, tween and teen programming, and our goal is to build on this success. The library is and always has been a place for everyone. At times, guidelines must be adjusted to address disruptive behavior and to ensure a safe, welcoming environment for all patrons. These measures are intended to protect access to services, not restrict it. The Douglas and Glenrock libraries follow the same policies as they are all part of the Converse County Libraries system.”

She shared that the Glenrock Library is doing well.

“Staff are engaged, offering quality programming, and serving the community effectively. Patron visits over the past several months have exceeded numbers from the past few years.”

CCL leadership consists of Maner, Assistant Director Crystal Heggland, CCL Board members Moe, Vice-president Mark Roster, Secretary/Treasurer Jody Glenn, and members Tammy Townsend and Morryah McCurdy.

Kofoed encouraged the public to become interested in its library through board meetings.

“Public comment for these meetings needs to be arranged with the library director a week in advance in order for it to be added to the agenda,” she explained. “Email addresses for board members and the director are also available on the library’s website. Our county libraries are a wonderful resource for all citizens. Active engagement with the board may help open channels of communication and provide direction for the future of our libraries to assure that decisions regarding library administration align with the needs and desires of our Herder community,” she said.