Each supervisor can appoint one person to the library board (hence, Delgaudio's appointment of Beacham). Given the political makeup of our BOS, committee appointments definitely need to be monitored. In our county, I don't believe library trustees have influenced or interfered with particular book/movie selections, but they have in the past changed and attempted to change library policies such as the ALA Freedom to Read statement. Also, in the late 90's, Dick Black used his library board appointment to help enact his extreme political agenda (Internet filters required for all library patrons) and launch his political career. (In fact, he's now a state senator and he's running for Frank Wolf's seat in Congress.) Fortunately, the community was paying attention and Dick Black lost when Mainstream Loudoun and members of the community challenged his policy in federal court. The Internet policy he championed was found to be unconstitutional--you can't treat adults like children.
Our supervisors have also attempted to change library policies. Just last summer several supervisors were trying to figure out how they could restrict minors' access to R-rated DVDs. And while you personally might not want your child to watch certain movies, librarians do not want to be policemen. It's the job of parents to monitor what their children are watching if they so wish. And if we start labeling/restricting DVDs, what about books…?
With respect to who decides how to spend money, professional librarians are entrusted to select materials that serve the community. They don't purchase every book that's published or every movie that's made. But they do select materials that allow the freedom to read and explore a wide variety of ideas. If you think that your community library is somehow practicing censorship in its selection of materials, it might be worth your time to attend some library board meetings.
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