Gov. Kay Ivey removed longtime Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) District 6 board member Virginia Doyle after publicly criticizing how libraries have been politicized over the past several months.

In an email, Ivey’s deputy communications director, Mike Lewis, said she was removed after the Nov. 16 APLS board meeting.

“Governor Ivey appreciates her service to the State,” Lewis said.

At the meeting, Doyle said whoever reached out to Ivey and state legislators about potentially cutting library funding due to book challenges was “just wrong.”

“If they want to cut the money from the libraries, it won’t hurt me and it won’t hurt you,” Doyle said, pointing to other board members. “But they’re going to go home and they’re going to face the people. They’re not hurting this board. They’re hurting the people at home.”

Doyle has served on the board as a “steadfast defender and longtime supporter of public library service” for about 20 years, according to an email by APLS communications and public relations manager Ryan Godfrey. During her tenure, Doyle served as board chair and vice-chair.

The Alabama Library Association gave her the 2021 Humanitarian Award for her “tireless” efforts in ensuring library revenue was a priority in Jefferson County government.

“In 2020, as COVID-19 brought new revenue challenges, Doyle took the initiative to shepherd the library cooperative through the revenue shortfall by ensuring complete and timely submissions of all necessary documentation,” Godfrey said. “As many organizations lost public funding in 2021, the library cooperative remained an essential resource for Jefferson County residents.”

The APLS has been caught up in several book challenges in libraries across the state this year. The debate reached state Republican leadership and Ivey, who communicated with APLS director Dr. Nancy Pack about how libraries should handle books that have possible objectionable material for children. Ivey stated state legislators may withhold funding if librarians don’t find ways to keep inappropriate materials away from children.

As a result, Pack recommended that library directors separate potentially inappropriate books away from the children’s and young adult sections. The LGBTQ community represents the majority of challenged books.

Doyle was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.