Library News: Lance Armstrong Controversy

Who’d have thought this Lance Armstrong controversy would lead to discussions about pubic librarianship? I sure didn’t. But here we are, half the library world is up in arms about it and the rest are just sitting around trying to change the channel, like me.

The problem is that the Up-In-Armers want to make some changes and that makes us Channel Surfers have to stand up and say something.

What are some libraries doing? Well, right now there’s a lot of librarian discussions about what different systems are planning to do with Armstrong books. You’ve probably seen the viral picture from Manly Library, Sydney, Australia.

And word on the listservs is that several Southern California libraries will actually remove Armstrong books from their collections. That, in my, and I’m sure other librarians’ opinions, is where the line gets crossed.

First of all, think about it from a capitalistic point of view: Now that there’s a controversy, the books are more likely to circulate, so you’re limiting your own circulation by not letting those books go out. 

Now from a library activist's point of view: Dude. We’re not here to censor. We’re not here to define truth or lies for people. Libraries exist to provide the public with the tools to make those decisions for themselves. You cross the line when you start to make decisions for the public telling them what they can’t read. And I don’t want to hear someone come back with a jab at collection development policies. I’m focusing here on banned books and censoring. Think about what Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose (1984) said:

 "The devil isn't in these books. It's in here. It's in our hearts."

Why are Mythologies and Folklore found in the nonfiction section? Mythology is usually based in religion or a belief system and is or was believed to be true. Folklore is often true stories that have been stretched by the telephone game of time and distance. Basically, both myth and folklore are based in truth or are believed to be true by one or more groups of people. 
Lance Armstrong really did what he did, whether he did it with help or not. That all really happened. It wasn't CGI or Photoshop. 

Process that and then think about what you should do with Lance Armstrong books.

Library News: Bedbugs in Library Books

A new library patron! Bedbug Coloring Pages

A friend of mine sent me this New York Times article about bedbugs infesting books. I am absolutely disgusted and terrified of bedbugs, but this article didn't strike a note of fear in me. I guess, being a public librarian, I can say that I've handled my fair share of insect infested materials from the bookdrop or in boxes of donations, or handed directly to me from a customer. I've also seen my fair share of insect infested customers. But, still, bedbugs are pretty gross.

Manga puts boy in extensive therapy? I Think Not!

its been a while, folks, but i finally found a story worth reporting on Local Library News. Please follow the link to read the story: Mom: Son in 'extensive therapy' after viewing library book.
can you find a better title than that. i'll wait until you finish reading, its a quick article......not yet? okay. How about now? Great.

this is a prime example of parents shucking their parental duties and leaving the crap for us service workers to pick up. i say it at least once a day, so it should be on the blog, too: I AM NOT A BABYSITTER. the library is a place for you to share with your kids, not drop them off and hope for the best. you are supposed to explore the shelves with them and/or teach them how to explore the shelves on their own. we don't (and its really against our ethics) to police what adults or kids pick up or check out for their own purposes.

that being said, what's really going on here? a crazy lady, who clearly passed on her hanging-by-a-thread-sanity to her child is blaming the library for her child "being in a home for extensive therapy." One itty bitty manga didn't drive your kid insane. you did.

Here! Here! to the crestview library staff. may they stand (as long as their bricks and mortar last) up to the book burners, zealots and crazies toting a solid policy and excellent customer service as their tools.

fight on.

The She-DVD-Pilferer

This is Belinda Nomoustachorbeard for ZBT's Local Library News. Leading the news today is a tale of excess, denial and wonder....from the webpages of Dumb as a Blog is the story of the Iowa City Public Library's very own She-DVD-Pilferer. She checks 'em out, but doesn't bring 'em back.
Dumb as a Blog: Library Scofflaw Booked
This woman abused her library privileges to obtain 53 different titles and has yet to return them. After sending a stern letter from the library reminding her to uphold the policies she signed her name to, This should be a lesson to all library users that fine accrual does not pay. That brings us to the end of another segment of ZBT's Local Library News. Thanks for tuning in folks and remember to pay attention to the fiction between the pages and the action between the aisles!

Crimes of the Literate

Copied from Myspace blog
Here's a story CBS New ran about what they're calling "Lawless Libraries."
CBS2 Lawless Libraries
As someone who is an advocate for libraries and information access, I'm surprised at this investigative report and as someone who's got a degree in public relations I guess you can say I'm involving myself in a little crisis communications. CBS has the nerve to air a story saying libraries are unsafe and that parents shouldn't let their children go to libraries alone. Well, I agree. Parents shouldn't let their children go alone anywhere, not to church, thanks to priests and other men-of-God's actions, not to daycare thanks to abusive caregivers and certainly not to school, with all these Columbine-like murderous rampages. I would advocate for children to stay locked up in their homes if it wasn't for evil-doing parents like Marybeth Tinning, Andrea Yates and Said Biyad. So what are we to do?
Here's a thought: we continue on as we have. Trudging through life, hoping things don't turn out too bad. We could do better to teach kids to recognize bad situations and how to do their best to get out of them. We can't always be there to protect them. We can't always protect ourselves. But it doesn't matter where we're at, bad things happen everywhere and to anyone.
I love how these news channels do all these crazy investigative reports scaring the public one way or another. Now they're trying to scare people away from the last real source of democracy left: Libraries. I guess we are truly in a climate of fear.