Library buildings in need of repair such as the Eudora Welty Library that is plagued by a leaking roof and mold are nothing the newly hired executive director of the Jackson-Hinds Library System has not faced.
Floyd Council, who now leads the Jackson-Hinds Library System, encountered a similar situation at Central East Library in Birmingham when he worked as executive director of the Birmingham Public Library from 2017 until 2020.
“The buildings in Birmingham had been in worse shape than the buildings in Jackson,” he said. “When I arrived in Birmingham, the escalators had been out of service at the Central Library. There was leaking in the middle of the floor and multiple parts of it.”
The mayor of Birmingham studied for the bar exam at Central East Library and because of that Council knew that he valued the library. Council said he was able to work with the mayor and his leadership team and secure $7 million for repairs for Central East Library. The building still needs $2.5 million to fix the leaking roof, he said.
A native of the small town of Shelby located in Bolivar County in the Mississippi Delta, a graduate of American College with a bachelor’s degree in media communications and also an alumnus of Florida State University where he earned a master’s degree in library and information science, Council, age 57, sought the Jackson-Hinds Library System job because of his ties to the state.
“I’m a passionate Mississippian,” he said. “After having a career that has taken me to some fabulous places around the United States, I’ve looked forward to coming back home to contribute to Mississippi libraries.”
Council’s career has landed him at library systems across the country including Dallas, Nashville, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Birmingham.
His job as executive director of the Birmingham Public Library was a challenging and contentious one that others had turned down before him, he said.
“I walked into a toxic place where they had unresolved issues,” he said. “Staff morale was low, and folks didn’t want to change. A lot of the craziness was already going on before I got there.”
Council contends library staff members colluded with the media and tried to defame him, he said.
“The BirminghamWatch wrote over 23 articles that fabricated lies,” he said. “Most of what they wrote was fabricated lies. Some of those things didn’t happen.”
The BirminghamWatch in a Dec. 15, 2020 story reads:
“Council’s time at the BPL was mired in controversy from the beginning; in October 2018, roughly 20 library employees complained to the board that he had created a ‘hostile’ work environment.
“Council, who had maintained that employee complaints were from ‘extreme outliers,’ had drawn the ire of board members in recent months due to his handling of employee furloughs precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Sept. 29 board meeting, Council got into a heated exchange with board member Sherri Nielson after she argued he was presenting too optimistic a portrait of the library’s reduced resources.”
The story continues with this quote from Council: “That’s disrespectful, and I’ve had enough of it,” he told her. “If you’re not going to respect me, don’t expect me to respect you.”
Council was suspended without pay for two months by the Birmingham Public Library board of trustees for undisclosed reasons. The suspension was due to an investigation into a personnel matter, Council said.
He resigned on Dec.15, 2020, giving no explanation.
In 2021, Council found himself embroiled in more drama but this time with the board of trustees when he served as executive director of the Carnegie Public Library of Clarksdale for less than three months. He resigned on April 26, 2021.
“There were pending ethics and legal issues going on concerning the library board prior to when I arrived,” he said. “It was undisclosed.”
Jennifer Joyner of Clarksdale, a former Carnegie Public Library board member, did not want to talk about the issues with the board but said Council is qualified to lead a library system. “In fact, he was overqualified for our little library,” she said.
Council is “extremely intelligent,” passionate about libraries and was loved by the Carnegie Public Library staff, she said.
Rickey Jones, chairman of the Jackson-Hinds Library System, said the board selected Council because of his qualifications and experience working at library systems throughout the country. “We were delighted and happy that he was able to accept the offer,” he said.
All over the country, library systems have boards that may be dysfunctional, buildings that need maintenance, financial challenges and a workforce that could make more money working at fast food outlets, Council said.
“Even with the resources we have and the staff we have, the Jackson-Hinds Library System can continue to do a lot,” he said. “We’re not the only library system that has seen staff reductions and wage challenges.”
The Jackson-Hinds Library System has “wonderful, passionate” employees, he said.
A divorced father of two sons that he co-parents with his ex-wife, Council wants to work with Jackson-Hinds Library System employees to revamp programs, so they support the Jackson public and private schools. He also wants to ensure the public is educated about all the resources a library can provide.
“Most folks view libraries as a place for quiet study or story time,” he said. “Libraries in the 21st century are so much more.
“They’re a place to make noise, make a business plan, hold robotics competitions and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) competitions.”
Council went on to name numerous electronic resources libraries can provide from e-books to study courses.
“Libraries aren’t just buildings,” he said. “You can educate yourself using electronic resources.”
“American public libraries are still the most trusted place right behind places of faith for free public service access. Libraries are the saving grace for people who have school age children, people who are retired and enjoy reading and are not able to buy those materials and job seekers who need a computer.”
