The Fairhope Public Library no longer has access to Baldwin County’s courier service as a result of its state funding loss, meaning patrons cannot easily check out books housed in other cities’ catalogs.

The Baldwin County Commission announced the stoppage of its service during its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Officials said the county’s courier service to the Fairhope library would discontinue on Friday, Jan. 23.

With the county’s service, library card holders at any municipality in Baldwin County can request materials from any public library within the county system and have them delivered to their local library, which gives patrons access to books even if they aren’t at their home library. Under the county’s library agreement, a public library must be eligible for state funding in order to participate in the county’s courier service.

Roger Rendleman, county administrator, told GCM the current agreement is based off a model that was approved in 2024. Based on the language in place, the county won’t transport materials to or from Fairhope while it is not eligible for state aid, which impacts more than Fairhope card holders. If a book is housed at Fairhope’s library and, for example, Orange Beach does not have it, an Orange Beach card holder cannot have that book delivered to the Orange Beach library, but they can check it out if they pick it up themselves, and vice versa.

“They are still set up and still have the system,” Rendleman said. “They pay for and they actually manage the system that allows the sharing of book materials. The only thing that is at issue at this point in time is the county’s courier actually going to the Fairhope library, because they are no longer in compliance with the existing agreement.”

Rendleman also noted that under the current agreement, they would have to also cut off other libraries within Baldwin County in the event they were to also lose state funding.

Rendleman said it’s up to Fairhope’s librarians to decide how to proceed. He said the current agreement has components that are "obsolete" and did not rule out the possibility that it could be changed or amended.

Fairhope permanently lost state funding — by the end of 2026, it will amount to around $44,000 — after the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) voted not to restore it following months of debate over the placement of books deemed “sexually explicit” in sections for teens. APLS officials named 10 that needed to be moved to adult sections in order for the library to comply with new state standards and receive state funding again. Some titles the local library reviewed and kept in the teen section — separate from a younger juvenile section — include “Sold,” “The Hate U Give,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Some other titles were moved.

During Tuesday’s meeting, people from both sides of the issue were in attendance, including representatives of Read Freely Alabama, which has supported the Fairhope library, and Rebecca Watson, the former president of the Baldwin County chapter of Moms For Liberty and founder of the Fairhope Faith Collective, both groups that have opposed city and library leadership in Fairhope over the placement of books.

“I believe that parents should have the right to decide what their kids can read,” said Kristi McClennan, who was in attendance for Tuesday’s meeting but said she is not affiliated with any group. “I have two sons in college and one who is a sophomore in high school, and we have spent hours and hours and hours at the Spanish Fort Library, and then some other libraries, and we have never once stumbled upon any book that had any inappropriate material in it. I’ve made it a point to read some of these questioned books, and I don’t understand why they’re trying to shelve them in areas that they’re not designed for.”

John Wahl, APLS chairman, said the material Fairhope librarians did not move from the teen section contains sexually explicit and inappropriate material, but that state funding can be reinstated immediately once the books have been relocated to adult sections.

“This determination is not about banning books or restricting access,” Wahl said in a letter to the library elaborating their decision to hold funding. “Adults, and the children of parents who grant them access to adult sections, remain free to read any material of their choosing. At the same time, relocating these books allows parents who do not wish for their children to be exposed to explicit sexual content to exercise that same right. The goal of every library should be to help everyone feel welcome, respected, and safe when visiting.”

Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan told GCM she has been in communication with the library but that it is ultimately up to them to handle the situation. The Fairhope Public Library released a statement on Jan. 23 saying its leaders are evaluating options.

"There has been a lot of discussion this week about the loss of the courier service," the library said in a statement shared on social media. "Today will be the last day of service for the time being. We are actively working on a solution. You may continue to return your materials to us even if they belong to one of the other county libraries and we will make sure they get to where they need to be."

"Thank you for your continued support and use of our library; we appreciate your patience during this time," they continued. "Fairhope Public Library is committed to providing the best possible service to our community."