Public comment at the Lyon County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Jan. 16 centered on the Lyon County Library system, with several residents urging the board to act on trustee appointments and to change how sexually explicit material is shelved.

Speakers said they were concerned about books in children’s sections and asked the board to place an item on a future agenda to fill a vacant trustee seat and to ensure trustees would “protect children” by reshelving certain titles. Library Director Lynn Prindle and county staff told the commission that Nevada law gives the board authority to appoint trustees but limits removal power; county policy says trustees provide a recommendation for filling vacancies but the county commission makes the appointment. Prindle also described the library’s written Collection Development Policy and the process for patrons to file a Request for Reconsideration when they object to material.

Why it matters: The comments reflect a months‑long, countywide dispute over library selections and trustee actions. Commissioners heard that some residents want trustees replaced and policies tightened; other community members and library supporters said the library staff follow professional selection practices and that targeted removals based solely on public pressure could raise First Amendment concerns.

Key details: The library system has five branches and about 86,000 items. Prindle said that some titles raised in public comment were not owned by the system (for example, she said the library does not own Flamer or Gender Queer and that Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye was not in the system). She reported that some volumes (examples cited in comments) were being reclassified or moved after staff review (for instance, a popular young‑adult fantasy series had been republished as adult fiction; staff recalled and reclassified those volumes to the adult section).

Process and limits: Prindle and County Manager Andrew Haskin reminded the board that NRS 379.020 gives the county commission authority to appoint library trustees and NRS 379.040 states public libraries must remain free and accessible subject to reasonable regulations set by trustees. County policy (Lyon County Policy 1‑3 H‑2‑c) directs that vacancy appointments be filled by the commission after a recommendation from the library board of trustees; the commission may accept or reject the recommendation. Haskin noted the county manager does not directly oversee library staff; the trustees hire and supervise the director.

Next steps: The library board of trustees was scheduled to meet Jan. 28 to review applications for the open trustee seat and forward a recommendation to the commission. Commissioners and the county manager said they would receive that recommendation and could act on appointment authority later. The director invited commissioners to visit any branch and meet staff and volunteers.

Ending: The commissioners did not take action during the Jan. 16 meeting on trustee appointments or library policy changes; the matter was left to the formal trustee recommendation and future commission agenda items. The public comment record and staff presentation provided the commission with the statutory context and the library’s internal reconsideration procedures, which commissioners cited as guiding the next steps.