Earlier this month, a library employee said he saw a patron at the Talent branch watching videos he called child pornography.

Employee Glenn Kaphammer said the videos being viewed included children in the bath and a baby’s diaper being changed.

“We know of at least four or five [kids] that saw what was on that screen,” he said at a recent Jackson County Library District Board of Directors meeting.

Some residents protested the patron’s initial punishment, which has been reported as a one-week suspension of library privileges. The library later permanently revoked his internet access.

At a Tuesday meeting, County Commissioner Rick Dyer presented a draft letter to library leadership outlining his concerns and requesting regular communication about the situation.

Dyer said many residents now don’t feel safe going to the library.

“The use of that facility is really being diminished because, like I say, the things that are happening and the response to them or lack of response to them in a lot of ways,” he said.

“We have noted with concern the reports regarding the initial handling of this matter and the alleged modification of internal incident reports,” Dyer’s draft letter reads. “These are serious administrative issues that go to the heart of public trust.”

It goes on to request library leadership’s full cooperation with law enforcement, regular communication and future collaboration.

But Commissioner Colleen Roberts disagreed, saying it’s not the Commissioners’ place to get involved. The Jackson County Library District is governed by its own elected board and functions as a separate local government entity, not under the county commission’s direct control.

“I think they need to clean up their own mess,” she said. “I don’t want to be involved in it, and I think the people need to hold them accountable. That’s who elected them to those board positions.”

Commissioners will consider the letter again at a meeting next week.

Meanwhile, the library says it’s reviewing its policies, training staff and strengthening safeguards to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

“We’re taking this very seriously and doing everything we can to address it appropriately and give it the attention it deserves and to protect the safety and well-being of the people who use the library, our residents,” Community Engagement Manager Josh Letsinger said.

The library’s internet acceptable use policy says it uses technology to block child pornography and other material that is obscene or harmful to minors, but it does note “no filter can guarantee total success.”

It continues that the library has the right to regulate behavior, especially “if such behavior would jeopardize the health and safety of minors, or would result in the creation of a sexually hostile environment for staff and library users. [...] Access to, use of, or dissemination of, constitutionally unprotected (legally obscene) speech is unacceptable in the library.”

“The safety and well-being of our patrons is our highest priority,” Library Director Kari May said in a press release. “This incident underscores the importance of swift action and continuous improvement.”

The Talent Police Department is investigating and didn’t respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

The District Attorney is reviewing the case and waiting for further investigation to be completed by the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force.

Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood encouraged community patience in a Facebook post.

“When public safety is involved, especially for our children, it is natural to want immediate results. I have learned that thorough investigations take time,” she wrote. “The work is ongoing, and safety measures remain in place as we move forward with accountability that stands the test of our legal system.”

Jane Vaughan is a reporter with Jefferson Public Radio.

This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/02/jackson-county-board-of-commissioners-might-get-involved-after-talent-library-incidents/