Library board decision expected

The books being challenged at the Marshall Public Library are "Blankets" by Craig Thompson and "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel. [Click to enlarge]

The Marshall Public Library Board of Trustees will meet at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 11, in the meeting room at the Marshall Public Library to make its final decision on the requested removal of two novels from the library.

Marshall Public Library Director Amy Crump said that the meeting will be open to the public and there will be a limited amount of time to hear comments from the audience.

Louise Mills of Marshall brought the books to the attention of the library board and filed paperwork to remove "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel and "Blankets" by Craig Thompson.

The books in question are "graphic novels" which use illustrations and text to tell their stories. The two novels in question contain drawings which Mills and others find objectionable. Mills claimed that the drawings are "pornographic" and should not be available at the library.

The library board held a public hearing on Oct. 4 at the city building in order to hear the public's opinion on the removal request. The hearing was well attended and the board heard a number of opinions regarding the requested removal of the books.

Contact Zach Sims at marshallbusiness@socket.net