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I'm a school librarian. I was taught it's acceptable. The law says it's acceptable. As a father, as a teacher, as a man I cannot agree. Under the circumstances a private area should be provided. Having said that I wouldn't want to be required to clean up the place....
I'm as liberal as they come, but I don't think that pornography should be available at a public library, period. What kind of private area could be provided? If it's a room only for adults, I certainly wouldn't be comfortable
with men around me watching porn. What if people became so "passionate" that they'd attempt to indulge in sex acts in the room? And the room would have to be windowless, lest unsuspecting browsers accidentally see something untoward, as happened to this woman and her daughter. No doubt the ACLU would disagree with me, but I feel that pornography is meant for movie theaters and the privacy of one's own home, and not in the public realm at all. Like you, I'd hate to be the janitor that has to keep that room sterile.
Most libraries are filled with kids watching youtube until their parents pick them up after work thus saving on child care.
We are allowed to filter the children's computers, and my current library blocks YouTube, Facebook, and a variety of other things... we also have one special (Learning Station) computer, which ONLY has educational games and no Internet access.
Oh yeah, and for any patron under age 13, their library card doesn't work on the adult/YA computers - so they can't even sneak on there, unless maybe they use a parent's or older sibling's card. But it's a small enough library that we'd quickly notice, so they won't get away with that for long!
I'm as liberal as they come, but I don't think that pornography should be available at a public library, period. What kind of private area could be provided? If it's a room only for adults, I certainly wouldn't be comfortable with men around me watching porn.
Again, it really doesn't happen all that often... and generally we only have to flash them a "disapproving" look, before they sign off and shuffle away all embarrassed.
P.S. It probably helps that library staffs are predominantly female, and usually in the 30-65 age range. I guess they're less inclined to visit a porn site, when somebody who looks like their mom is standing right behind them. LOL
Libraries should offer NO access to porn. They are PUBLIC by nature, not PRIVATE.
You actually just contradicted yourself, because the fact that it's PUBLIC is precisely the issue... as the last time I checked, institutional censorship was still prohibited by Congress.
P.S. It probably helps that library staffs are predominantly female, and usually in the 30-65 age range. I guess they're less inclined to visit a porn site, when somebody who looks like their mom is standing right behind them. LOL
LOL! No doubt...my mother could freeze your blood with one look! I'm glad to hear that it isn't a common occurance, as it's a job hazard I wouldn't want to deal with. Interesting conundrum, however.
Censorship -LOL! We're talking porn, and I didn't see the right to free porn in anything written by the founding fathers.
Actually, the laws of censorship DO apply to pornography... isn't that kind of the point?
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I'm sure the bookstores will let them browse.
Not really, as most bookstores have a browsing time limit - and/or signs that state "This isn't a library!" Hehe. And how many bookstores have public computers?
LOL! No doubt...my mother could freeze your blood with one look!
Yep! I'm not even a mother, and only 35 years old, but I can still flash a VERY chilling "mom look" at my patrons... it almost always works without having to say a word.
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I'm glad to hear that it isn't a common occurance, as it's a job hazard I wouldn't want to deal with. Interesting conundrum, however.
Yeah, it's mostly just a common thing in large urban libraries - like maybe at San Francisco main branch, but at the smaller branches it's rarely an issue. Just a part of our job, though, along with a multitude of other situations you'd never imagine we face. My favorites are the people who say "I paid for this library!" thinking it gives them free reign to do whatever they want & treat us however they want. Sorry guys, but the term "public servant" doesn't actually mean you are my Master.... and somehow I doubt you personally funded this library and my salary. P.S. I pay taxes too.
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