For 14 years, the Farmville Public Library in North Carolina has been represented by a simple, friendly image: an open book with each page in a different color. Now that logo is gone. The library replaced it without any public discussion after just three residents complained to a town commissioner that it resembled a rainbow and might suggest support for LGBTQ+ people.

The logo is not a rainbow. The colors on its pages appear in no particular order, and some rainbow colors are missing altogether. Either way, a design that has represented the whole town for 14 years should not vanish because of three complaints.

Residents got no chance to weigh in before the change. Farmville Mayor Alex Joyner has criticized how the decision was made, telling News 12, “Choices and decisions like this should be made in the public eye and with public comment.” He also noted that rainbows have long been linked with libraries across the country, pointing to the children’s reading show Reading Rainbow.

Public libraries belong to everyone who funds them, visits them, and borrows from them. Their symbols should reflect the whole community, not the preferences of three complainants.

The Farmville Public Library and the Farmville Board of Commissioners have the power to fix this. They should restore the original open-book logo and commit to gathering public input before changing town symbols in the future. A public meeting about the logo is set for November 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Farmville Town Hall.

Sign the petition to bring back the Farmville Public Library’s logo and make sure residents are heard before the November 2 meeting.