Adult fiction en español? Ga. library won't buy it

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- The library system in this suburban Atlanta county says ``no mas": It won't buy any more thrillers, romance novels, or other works of adult fiction in Spanish.

The decision has angered Hispanic leaders and thrust Gwinnett County -- where one out of six residents is Hispanic -- into the nation's immigration debate.

Last week, the library board in this fast-growing county of 700,000 people eliminated the $3,000 that had been set aside to buy Spanish-language fiction in the coming fiscal year. It offered no explanation, but the chairman said such book purchases would lead readers of other foreign languages to demand the same treatment.

However, one board member, Brett Taylor, said the move was made after some residents objected to using taxpayer dollars to entertain readers who might be illegal immigrants.

``The argument was we didn't need to cater to illegal aliens," Taylor said. ``I'm personally offended by that. We've got to look out for everybody."

The budget cut passed without discussion at a June 12 meeting, minutes after reporters and residents rushed out of the room because the library director had been fired for reasons the board has not disclosed.

The 13-branch library system will continue to buy children's books and adult nonfiction in Spanish, but not, say, the latest John Grisham thriller in Spanish or a Marcela Serrano novel in its original language.