Residents get heated at library: CCL board fires two popular staffers, no official reasons cited for terminations

A teenager’s social media post about her mother and other employees working in a hot environment during high June temperatures – blamed on ongoing problems with the building’s HVAC system – may have been behind two Converse County Library employees in Glenrock getting unexpectedly terminated June 18, those familiar with the situation have said.

Glenrock Library Manager Jennifer Kofoed and circulation clerk Erin Wolfley were notified that their at-will employment with CCL was terminated by Converse County Library Director Mary Lin Maner. 

Maner was accompanied by two CCL board members, according to one unconfirmed report.

On June 27, Maner said, “I can confirm (that two employees from the Glenrock Library were terminated), but I cannot discuss personnel issues.”

In the past 10 days, several people in the community have reached out to the Independent and posted on social media about the terminations that followed a social media post by Aspen Wolfley, the daughter of Erin Wolfley.

Aspen had made the post about the 90-degree heat inside of the Glenrock Library on June 11, commenting that it was extremely hot and could be a dangerous working environment for employees and patrons. Per her mother’s request via text, Aspen was going to get her mom some ice and had asked why it was needed. She learned the HVAC system wasn’t working again and she was concerned for the employees’ safety, prompting the post, she said.

The post generated multiple concerned comments from community members. Aspen eventually removed the post.

Aspen explained in a letter to the Glenrock Independent that she is speaking out now because her mother and her mother’s supervisor “were wrongfully terminated from their positions at the Glenrock Library.”

“Their dismissal followed my public expression of concern over their unsafe working conditions — a clear violation not only of safe working conditions, but of the principle of freedom of speech. They didn’t speak out, I did. They didn’t comment on the concerns I posted, or share what I posted. My mom didn’t share any secrets – she asked me to bring ice to the library for her, and when I asked why, she told me. That was a private conversation, not her misrepresenting the library or sharing anything confidential,” Aspen wrote.

The Glenrock Library’s HVAC issues working are not a secret and well-known by the community, she said.

“During a recent heat wave, the interior of the library reached temperatures of over 90 degrees at times, which is unsafe for staff, patrons and the IT equipment in the building, not to mention the expensive art installations that the art manager brings in. To cope, staff did their best – they shut off lights, brought fans from home to run constantly, and were advised to stay hydrated and use cold towels — hardly sustainable or safe solutions. Children who usually spend their days in the library were forced to leave because of the heat,” Aspen charged in her letter.

She acknowledged that she’s aware that the library board for years has been trying to correct the issue “but as far as I know, they’ve never acknowledged the issue publicly to let the community and taxpayers know what their plan is.”

TERMINATIONS CAME AS A SHOCK

Erin Wolfley said for the past six years of her employment at CCL that she has tried to be supportive of the library and to serve Glenrock with professionalism and care.

She has never received “formal concerns or disciplinary action, and was surprised to be called into a meeting involving board members without notice or a clear explanation of the issue in advance,” she wrote in a June 17 letter to the CCL Board (which was later shared with the Independent) following the meeting with Maner and two board members.

During an unannounced visit June 17, Erin said she was not expecting to meet that morning with Maner and had no opportunity to prepare for it.

“During the meeting, I was told I violated policy by speaking with my daughter about the HVAC issues at the library — something I mentioned in a private conversation, with no intention of speaking poorly about the library. I had asked her to bring me ice and explained why. I also sent her a picture of the thermometer showing the temperature inside the building, again without the intent of speaking negatively,” Erin stated.

“While I understand the board’s concerns about public discussion, I was not aware that this would be considered a violation of policy, and I have not found any specific guidelines in the employee manual addressing this kind of situation.

“Since our conversation, I have reviewed the confidentiality policy in the employee manual. To the best of my understanding, the policy applies to internal data, patron information and sensitive organizational materials. I do not believe that commenting privately on observable conditions inside a public facility — particularly long-standing infrastructure issues that directly affect staff and patrons — violates this policy.”

Erin said she has also reviewed the library’s policy regarding public representation of the library. 

“I have not made any public statements, spoken to media, or posted on any official or personal social media accounts about the matter in question,” she told the CCL board.

“My daughter’s post was made independently, and I did not comment on the post, either as myself or as a library representative. She did end up taking the post down on Friday afternoon, for reasons of her own.”

Erin said she loves her job and cares deeply about the mission of public libraries “and the work we do to serve our communities.”

“I’ve consistently gone above and beyond in my role, and I believe my record over the past six years speaks for itself. I take my responsibilities seriously and want to continue contributing in a positive and professional way,” she wrote to the board.

In the meeting with Maner, she wrote, she was also asked what she thought her consequences should be, but she felt unprepared to answer. Such a question left her feeling unclear “about the process moving forward. I respectfully request clarification of next steps in this process.”

She was terminated from her job the next day.

Kofoed has worked for the Converse County libraries for 14.5 years. She started as a circulation clerk in Douglas in 2009, followed by a leave in 2012 for about 18 months.

After returning in 2013, she became the circulation manager in 2016, next transferring to Glenrock to serve as branch manager in September 2019. 

“In both libraries I had a unique role as manager to help our staff transition to new or renovated library buildings, and also to help our Glenrock team through the pandemic. Through these big changes and challenges, our staff came together as a stronger team with a familial bond,” Kofoed wrote in an email June 29. 

As a manager, she said, she helped to provide the backing needed to provide excellent service. 

“Our team has come together to provide programs for all ages and to expand our offerings to match the needs of our Glenrock community.”

Erin was hired as a circulation clerk in March 2019. 

“Besides being dedicated in patron services, Erin has been the trailblazer for many of our community services and collaborations that have taken our library above and beyond – including our family room, community corner, food pantry cupboard, Deer Creek Days Art Show, biannual book sales, Christmas Tree Festival, Love Local Valentine Market, and our Project Prom. Erin is actively engaged in our community and has a great eye for ways the library can be involved in making a contribution,” Kofoed wrote.

Members of the community, some library staff and patrons have said they are shocked that a teenager’s expression of her opinion on Facebook could result in terminating employees. It is also shocking, she wrote, and the lack of communication or the chance for remediation is also quite disturbing.

“A friend summed the situation up, saying that the director’s decision has taken away the heart and soul of our library. And, library patron Holly Fultz said, ‘The light from the Glenrock Library is very dim right now without you.’”

DENIED COMMENT

Several Glenrock community members in support of the two women attended the Converse County Library Board meeting June 26 to voice their concerns, but they were not allowed to speak, as they were not on the agenda.

Maner confirmed that account of the meeting, saying “We’re working on that . . . I do have several that showed up at the board meeting (but) they were not on the agenda, . . . and we put them on the agenda for July.”

The next CCL Board meeting is scheduled for July 24 at 9:30 a.m. at the Douglas Library. Maner added that anyone who wished to be on the agenda for the July meeting should contact the library.