In a correspondence dated June 18, 2007, the Henderson-Vance County Human Relations Commission reported on its investigation of the complaint made by local activist Deryl von Williams upon her being barred from the H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library.
The report censures both Von Williams and library staff for the series of events that led to her being barred from the library and charged with criminal trespass.
Von Williams, the head of the Vance County Learning Center, a school she devised in the summer of 2006, had been holding classes for her students in the library due to problems with securing a facility for her school.
According to the reports of library staff and patrons, this created a disruptive environment within the library. An inside source reported to Home in Henderson that there had been altercations between Von Williams and members of the library staff as well as issues with the management of her students.
In an effort to address the problem, the Library Board of Trustees adopted the following policy:
LIBRARY POLICY FOR USE OF THE LIBRARY BY NON-LIBRARY SPONSORED SCHOOLS, CLASSES, OR OTHER GROUPS
Subject to availability of space and conflict with library programs or standards as determined by the Library Director, non-library sponsored classes or groups may use the public areas of the library for not more than 3 hours on any day and for not more than 3 days in any period of 30 days.
Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees
November 13, 2006
This policy effectively forbade Von Williams from holding classes at traditional times in the library.
Subsequently, Von Williams was accused of violating the policy and charged with criminal trespass on January 25 of this year.
The text of the Human Relation Commission’s findings appears below. An electronic version of the original document may be viewed here.
Report On Deryl von Williams versus H. Leslie Perry Library
From
Henderson–Vance County Human Relations Commission
To
Vance County Boards of Commissioners, et. al.
The Vance County Board of Commissioners referred the Deryl von Williams versus the H. Leslie Perry case to the above Human Relations Commission.
The Human Relations has investigated the complaint of Mrs. Deryl von Williams being barred from the Library. The Human Relations Commission has talked to both parties and tried to come to a resolution in re–instating Mrs. von Williams with Library privileges and access to the Library.
The Human Relations Commission found that Mrs. von Williams did not follow the Library policy in contacting the Library to make arrangements to bring her children to the Library, and there were too many children to supervise alone. The Human Relations Commission has also discovered that Mrs. von Williams spoke to Library personnel in an aggressive tone of voice and manner.
As far as the Library staff is concerned, the Human Relations Commission found that they need training in certain areas to help in dealing with the public more easily.
The following are the recommendations for Mrs. Deryl von Williams:
1. Complete a letter of request for reinstatement for library privileges.
2. Follow all library policies.
3. Talk to the Library staff with respect and courtesy.
4. If she has any complaint about a staff member, she should talk to Mrs. Jeanne Fox only.
The following recommendations are for the H. Leslie Perry Library:
1. The Library staff should receive training in the areas of crisis intervention, cultural diversity, and public relations. This will cover customer service.
2. The library staff needs to be increased so that their stress level will decrease.
3, Any staff member, who is having problems with a patron, should speak with Mrs. Fox immediately, either on site, or on the telephone.
The Commission has found that both parties want to get this behind them. It should also be stated Mrs. von Williams and the Library staff should maintain a positive attitude toward each other for this to work effectively.
The Library Board of Trustees is developing a document stating that Mrs. Deryl von Williams should follow all Library policies and be courteous of the staff at all times. Once Mrs. von Williams signs the document, the Library is willing to drop the criminal trespassing charge. Mrs. von Williams will have to follow the policies or she can be barred from the premises. Attorney Harvey Jackson will be cornmunicating with Mrs. von Williams on this issue.
The Human Relations Commission will be available to mediate if needed.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Jeffreys
President
cc: The Henderson City Council
cc: H. Leslie Perry Board of Trustees
cc: Mrs. Deryl von Williams
Although the correspondence of Human Relations Commission states that once Von Williams signs a document agreeing to adhere to library policy that the criminal trespass charges will be dropped, it is unclear whether or not the library has the authority to drop the charges. The library may only be able to request that the District Attorney drop the charges.