Gunnison Country Times: The Crested Butte News’ legal battle to ensure that libraries don’t shield users in a way that damages public transparency has come to an end. At the end of May, state legislators passed a new law codifying that users can’t request that books be removed under a cloak of anonymity.

Colorado legislators passed Senate Bill 24-216 at the end of May, which outlines a slew of protections to ensure public libraries offer a wide array of books, movies, magazines and more. It includes provisions that address the central concern in Crested Butte News’ Editor Mark Reaman’s lawsuit against Drew Brookhart, the executive director of the Gunnison County Public Library. Under the new law, the identities of people who request books be removed from the shelves are publicly available.

The case started years ago, when a Gunnison Valley resident requested that the book “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, a graphic memoir that includes themes of sexuality, be removed or reclassified to the adult section. At a contentious and well-attended library board meeting, library board members chose to keep the book. Reaman then filed an open records request for the “Request for Reconsideration Materials” form — submitted to remove or reclassify any library materials. 

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