Director at the Schoharie Free Library since only December 1, 2020, Don LaPlant doesn’t know why he was fired.
Citing personnel and privacy concerns, the library’s Board of Trustees isn’t saying.
But for the first time in local library history, fellow librians, teens, and three dozen of Mr. LaPlant’s fans turned out Wednesday to protest the move, packed in between stacks of books and reading nooks.
Cherie Blum said the library—Mr. LaPlant really—was a godsend for her 17-year-old daughter after they moved to Schoharie during COVID and she went directly to Hudson Valley Community College.
“His support has been life-changing,” Ms. Blum said. “Don was always there for her, even on his own time. She didn’t know anyone, but he made her part of the community.”
Teen Hope Morgenstern, a member of the library’s Young Adult Advisory Committee, said the same.
“Don was the whole reason I started coming here,” Hope said.
“His radiant personality made us want to come to the library—something she said she’s “positive” she won’t do without Mr. LaPlant.
Helen Thomas, director for the Sharon Springs Free Library, said any library’s personnel policies have to be available to the public—and asked which of them Mr. LaPlant violated.
Library President Pat Clancy said that’s confidential.
But Robert Tanner said that’s just an excuse.
“I’ve worked in human resources. That’s just the easy way out,” he said. “It you gave us a reason, there’d be a lot more respect here. It’s called transparency.”
Hope’s mom, Jennifer Marciniak, said she helped drum up Wednesday’s crowd because she was thrilled with her daughter’s experience at the library.
“I celebrated every Thursday when she would come here and I knew she was involved and in a safe space.”
And while she said she respects trustees’ personnel concerns, Ms. Marciniak asked what their plan is going forward—with hours, staffing, and replacing Mr. LaPlant—especially with Summer Reading about to start.
Trustees said they plan to hire an interim director within the next six weeks and have a new director in place by fall.
The Young Adult Advisory Committee will continue under library Vice President Toni Schaffer—a Girl Scout leader—hours have been temporarily cut and staff will pick up additional hours, Ms. Clancy said.
“Library employees come and go. Library directors come and go,” Ms. Clancy said.
And in fact, a part-time clerk offered a fulltime job has since handed in her two weeks’ notice because of the upheaval.
Kim Zimmer, director of the Community Library in Cobleskill and a former Schoharie Free Library trustee, asked how they’d plan to share the news of Mr. LaPlant’s firing with the community.
Through their website, Ms. Schaffer said--though they’ve had trouble accessing it.
Trustees said their decision to fire Mr. LaPlant wasn’t easy—but it was unanimous.
Alyson Montione, a past program director, said trustees have had an adversarial relationship with plenty of past employees and she’s lost trust in the board.
After questioning from Ms. Montione, Ms. Shaffer said if Mr. LaPlant “would like to make a statement, we could discuss a way to provide him with a platform.”
But Mr. LaPlant said Friday that he’s not sure what that platform would be.
He still doesn’t know why he was fired. (See related story in today's print edition.)