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Copyright (c) 2009 Ginny Maziarka. All rights reserved.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Local Librarian Shows True Colors/Agenda for Youth

It's been a while, but sometimes old ground is worth revisiting.

Recall the West Bend Library porn in the Young Adult section issue.  Numerous times I had pointed out HERE and HERE and HERE that it appeared our Young Adult librarian at the West Bend Community Memorial Library seemed to have an agenda that targeted the youth of our community.  Now that time has passed and she has her ALA nanny, it appears she is becoming lax and allowing the world to see the truth.  


As a case in point, let's take a look at our Young Adult Librarian's Facebook page as it looks today -HERE.  (Be assured this link won't last long, but have no fear, I took screen shots for another day.)

Just a few favorites on our YA librarian's list:

I Support Wisconsin Gay Community
Obama Endorses "don't ask, don't tell" compromise in Congress
Being liberal (Ok, even though she listed this, I found it humorous and couldn't help including it...)
Gay Straight Alliance
Gay Marriage
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (also Gay)
Marriage Equality
Day of Silence
Ellen Degeneres
Neal Patrick Harris


AUTHORS:
Chris Crutcher  (author of books such as Whale Talk - see example HERE)
Brent Hartinger (gay youth novelist who writes gay novels)

Our YOUNG ADULT LIBRARIAN also has a list of her favorite books she recommends, such as:

Alt Ed - See excerpts HERE.
Whale Talk - See excerpts HERE.
Rats Saw God - See excerpts HERE (scroll down to title).
Geography Club - See excerpts HERE.

...and other deplorable titles that expose and encourage the youth in our community to subject materials that are sexually explicit and/or inappropriate.


Draw your own conclusions.  The evidence is clear.


This is what the WEST BEND COMMUNITY MEMORIAL LIBRARY was asked to do for its youth and the community they serve:

1. Reclassification of Youth-Targeted Pornographic Books into the adult section of the library.  ANSWER:  NO.
2. Visual identification of explicit material with a parental advisory.  ANSWER:  NO.
3. Restrict Library-generated Online Sexual Content.  ANSWER:  NO.
4. Balanced Literature on Controversial Issues including homosexuality.  ANSWER:  NO.
5. Children's Internet Protection – require the libraries to implement technology protection to protect minors from internet porn on public computers in accordance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act.  ANSWER:  NO

What can you do?


1.  Write a letter to the West Bend Common Council expressing your concerns, requesting they look into the above issues.  Be sure to "cc" the Library Board!
2.  Check out the books on the YA list HERE or HERE.  Read them.  Note the vulgarities, profanity, explicit sex....  Ask for a "Request for Reconsideration" form.  Fill it out.  Have others do same.  Take them to the library and ask for reclassification of offensive and sexually explicit materials for minors.
3.  Call your local library director, Michael Tyree, and request changes in policy to reflect the above requests.
4.  Write a letter to your local library board to request changes in policy to reflect the above requests.

Love your community.  Hold your library accountable.  Your taxes pay for these materials.  The library staff is accountable to YOU.

9 comments:

Elena said...

You've discovered the truth. Some of the people that Kristin likes are gay. Guess what; some of the people you like are gay, too. Big deal.

People can read between the lines and research your previous campaigns of intolerance and assume that you think people should dislike authors, actors, etc. simply because they are gay, with no thought to the quality of their work. That seems like an awful way to exist.

If you want to go and make rash inferences about someone based on what they like in a social (not professional, so what does it have to do with Kristin's job?) networking forum, perhaps you won't be surprised when I suggest, since you have Safar listed as an activity on your Facebook profile, that you are an Islamic extremist.

West Bend Citizen Advocate said...

Hi, El... Thanks for the heads up about the FB page. I took Safar off as I did not put it there, but could really understand that you would be terrified of Islamic extremist connections.

The inferences you attribute to my post are not necessarily rash if they are true.

You said, "People can read between the lines and research.." Amen to that.

Elena said...

Ah, Ginny, your extremism is so much more frightening.

West Bend Citizen Advocate said...

El,
Why is it that you are afraid to protect children? Do you believe that books depicting hetero-/homo- sex acts in spelled out detail are healthy reading? Reading materials that give instructions on how to have various types of hetero-/homo- sexual intercourse/foreplay/self-gratification are great after-school primers?

People who believe in "all things for all ages" are very disturbing. This is why the ALA (American Library Association) and OIF (Office of Intellectual Freedom) are the biggest RED FLAGS of literary inappropriateness for minor children.

Elena said...

I'm not afraid to protect children, my own child, or someone else's that is in imminent danger. However, you misrepresent the books you challenged last year. They are not how-to books, and many of the titles you challenged had no or very minor sexual content.

I don't believe in "all things for all ages," as you mistakenly assume. I do believe that I can and should decide for my own child what books, TV, and movies she has access to. I do believe that once she reaches a certain age, she will challenge me and my opinions in that regard, and I welcome that, because I hope my child grows to be an independent person with a mind of her own, and not a carbon copy of my beliefs and ideas.

I'm sure my parents wouldn't have liked the idea of me reading Forever by Judy Blume when I was an adolescent, or sneaking my mom's copy of Scruples (which I believe included a lesbian scene) to read the juicy parts, yet I've become a pretty productive member of society and I am not a sexual deviant.

And I do believe that the ALA and OIF recommend that it is the parent's right to decide what is appropriate reading material for children, NOT that all reading material is right for everyone. What problem do you have with that arrangement?

Elena said...

You asked me a few questions in your last comment, so I'd like to ask you a few.

Last year, you insisted your challenge of the books you had issues with concerned sexual content, not homosexuality. Then why are you pointing out Kristin's likes/connections to gay people or organizations that support gay rights? You can't say your library challenge has nothing to do with homosexuality, then say someone at the library is targeting the youth by liking or having connections with gay people.

Why the link to the Chris Crutcher excerpts? They have nothing to do with sexuality or "porn" as you have called it. Expletives, yes. Sexuality, no. (Fitting depiction of the dialogue that might be spoken by the characters of this novel, I might add, and not provided within the context of the scenes in which they were spoken.)

West Bend Citizen Advocate said...

As for the direct association between our YA librarian and her steadfast willingness to push her agenda on our community, the truth speaks for itself.

And for the rest, simply your opinion.

Elena said...

Your logic is lacking. How is someone's Facebook page "Likes" pushing an agenda on our community? I don't know Kristin beyond seeing her around the library, but I would imagine that she is not Facebook friends with a significant number of adolescents in the West Bend community. Her Facebook page, if it had an agenda (beyond keeping in touch with Facebook friends), could only affect those that are connected with her via Facebook, not the greater community.

By your logic, if I have a Facebook page and "Like" the TV show Everyone Loves Raymond (which, btw, I do not), would that mean I have an agenda to make everyone else like the show? Of course not.

James Dionne said...

I don't like redheads, they're creepy.