Since the beginning of the new year, most Pella City Council meetings have been sounding boards for some residents concerned and even angry about the inclusion of the book Gender Queer on the Pella Public Library’s shelves, seemingly as part of a larger nationwide movement for the challenging and potential banning of certain books found to be objectionable.

The Pella City Council has been weighing its options as it considers how library materials are purchased locally and made available to patrons; Gender Queer has been one of the main targets of the larger movement in the country, and a graphic novel that has placed on the shelves of the adult section locally. The Pella Library’s Board of Trustees heard a challenge with several complaints in January, and found the book’s purchase and placement did not violate current policy.

Under City Code Chapter 22, the Library Board of Trustees is responsible for all library affairs including policies and purchasing of collection materials, and the council’s primary roles in relation to the library include appointing board members and approving annual library financial allocations.

With a vocal group of library users coming from in and out of town, the council is considering how to move forward. The book has found several defenders as well at the meetings, who argue libraries are meant to be places of inclusion of all viewpoints of a community, and that banning books amounts to censorship of views found to be controversial to others.

The only way the Pella City Council could take on more responsibility or oversight of what comes in and out of the Pella Public Library, at least according to the city’s attorney, is for a referendum of voters to be set by either petition or by the council itself — with a majority of voters then changing that part of the code. No formal action was taken at this week’s meeting related to matter, with further discussion expected in the near future.