CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that the subcommittee was formed to advise the Corpus Christi Public Libraries' collection development policy.
Many members of the community showed up to a scheduled Library Board meeting Tuesday, as the topic of moving or completely banning certain books took center stage.
The Library Board voted to create a subcommittee to help make recommendations to the libraries collection development policy.
During Tuesday's meeting, certain books were called into question. One book titled "Doing It Right: Making Smart, Safe, and Satisfying Choices about Sex" by Bronwen Pardes, was relocated due to its overall themes.
"The book was in the young adult section and the subcommittee determined that they would recommend to move it to the adult section," City of Corpus Christi Assistant Director of Library Technology Alan Carlos said.
If members of the community have an issue with a book they feel should be removed, Carlos said they can fill out a form requesting reconsideration. That form is then taken to the subcommittee where they will help determine a course of action.
"It's been pretty rare that we have had reconsiderations, with the exception of this year, we have had four," he said.
But books that center around LGBTQIA+ themes are crucial for representation in this day and age, according to Robert Kymes with the Corpus Christi Pride Center.
"The books that are here in the Pride Center are ones that have gone on the banned book list, so we want to make sure that those are resourced to all of our community members," Kymes said.
He said that for communities that already don't have many spaces to express themselves, having literature that reflects that can make a difference.
"Know that their experiences are valid, they're not the only ones that are feeling this way, or having this ideology of representation," Kymes said.
The subcommittee is made up of four advisory board members, which is a requirement. Carlos said that the library director has final say over recommendations and that the committee is there to help provide suggestions.