07/16/2026
Hello, Everyone! I wanted to make a post for transparency regarding the Milledgeville Public Library's flag honors etiquette as there's been some confusion and understandable frustration this week. It is a conflict I’ve been anticipating due to how flag honors are issued at federal and state levels, as well as my own lack of diligence in keeping on top of flag honors in the past.
As an Illinois state institution on state public land, the Milledgeville Public Library is beholden to flag advisories issued by the Illinois State Governor’s Office. The library receives alerts via the Flag Honor Alerts email list which provides guidance on when to lower the flag and for how long. Typically, these are issued for Illinois State honored persons or holidays, though we do observe U.S. Federal flag honors if instructed to do so by the Governor’s Office. I do not lower the flag outside of these state-level alerts as doing so would be an overstep of our status as a state-level institution and opens us to unintended contention, as happened this week.
It came to my attention yesterday that an unknown individual lowered our flag to half-staff despite no state advisory being issued to do so. As such, I raised it back to full-staff and kept an eye on our inbox for further notice from the Governor’s Office. This morning, I received an email from Flag Honors Alerts instructing me to lower the flag in honor of the late Senator Lindsey Graham and did so accordingly, where it will remain until sunset on Saturday, July 18th. I was unaware of any federal flag honors in observance at the time of my raising the flag and would not have acted any differently regardless of the individual being honored. The Milledgeville Public Library and its staff do not use the flag to convey political, institutional, or personal opinion. We follow the Illinois Flag Honors Alerts with only respect for those passed and condolences for their loved ones. Any failure to lower the flag in the past is solely due to my own lack of attentiveness to state alerts, and, for that, I sincerely apologize. I took steps this morning to ensure I receive Flag Honor Alerts to my personal email and several alternative channels to ensure I do not overlook any in the future.
Going forward, the library will publish flag advisories to our page both for transparency and peace of mind for all. We at the Milledgeville Public Library never want our community to doubt our intentions or dedication to treating others with respect, decorum, and kindness. Thank you to those who brought this issue to my attention, provided me the opportunity to explain my actions, and, hopefully, alleviate any worries.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me, Gabrielle Betzer, at the library, by phone at (815) 225-7572, or by email at [email protected]
If you would like to receive Illinois Flag Honors Alerts, please visit:
https://www.illinois.gov/about/flag-honors.html
Gabrielle Betzer
Director
Milledgeville Public Library
