Arggg. Library is clearing out books they don't feel are young adult enough. Don't they realize that it is mere steps away to get access to all the books in the library? I am actually worried they will start censoring the books in the adult section for "relevance" and "public morals".
https://www.wthr.com/article/news/lo...KWLyz_bZBYpsjE
Originally Posted by sweetana3
wow, the book “The Fault in our stars. “is a modern YA classic. Probably their board policy is attempting to be compliant with any new state laws? Or maybe they’ think they are getting ahead of it? That move is pretty radical.
Since I worked in Libraries for so long, I remember all the efforts to control access to materials of the past 35 years, mostly for youth control.
When I started working at the big city library, children were limited to materials coded in the computer system as J for juvenile. At that time minors could check out material from the YA collection because those were coded separately but I don’t remember what age it was that allowed them to do that …maybe 14? And I’m pretty sure J card patrons were blocked from the YA collection.
Then we loosened up, much to the chagrin of some children’s librarians who wanted to protect the kids, and moved to a system where parents could sign a library card application for children , allowing them to check out books in the adult collections, but not videos or music CDs.. That went on for many years.
Then somewhere in there, Tipper Gore and her censorship squad took on rap music lyrics, a genre essential to our community of 55% African American library patrons. During those heated days our library director, shockingly, told me to hold some of the super popular rap music we had purchased and not put them put out on shelves while he determined what to do with them. Tipper was very influential in that. There was much discussion among libraries as what to do with this kind of material. it was Tipper squawking that caused the music industry to issue two versions of their works, one version “NC-17 “and the other a“clean “version.
but one interesting little insight from in my library system was a Library branch manager who, in our large branch with a predominantly black clientele, quietly removed all of the “questionable “rap music titles from her collection, and secreted them away in her office. I knew she was doing this because I could tell from computer records what was going on. I pointed out to her boss. Her boss took no action. So those branch users including adults were denied popular materials appropriate for them.
Librarians are not always the beacon of intellectual freedom that they are thought to be. I have another story about that particular branch manager, making decisions to limit access to material in her branch, but I’ll save that tale for another day.
IL, well that’s a terrible story about the librarian and worse that her supervisor allowed it.
OK so your comment encourages me to tell the next story about this particular branch.
So back in the 1990s you all probably don’t remember but novels with African-American central characters were unusual. about the mid 90s one publisher produced a line of romance novels with African-American heroines. It’s what our library users had been asking for for a very long time.
This problem branch manager, head of one of our largest branches where 80% of patrons were black, allowed only ONE copy of these novels in her branch. A branch of that size should’ve had at least three copies, minimum. She should have been regularly reviewing the titles in that series for replacement due to condition and theft. But no, these novels were not of high enough moral quality to make her happy, so she denied them to her library patrons.
Very discouraging for the publisher who stuck out their neck to produce these titles. Here we were, a large urban library with one of the biggest African-American populations, and we remind the publisher that it’s not worth their time to publish this stuff because we aren’t buying in expected quantities.
Ridiculous. Fortunately, I just bought multiple copies to make up for this branch manager’s decision and placed those copies in other branches which could supply everyone.
So this is pretty appalling, this update about the group home on my block, acknowledged as at last night’s meeting as the best street in Hermann:
There is no local, state, or federal licensing of this group home for alcohol recovery. Because the owner of the business is not providing psychological services, they do not fall under the Department of Mental Health for my state.
There will be 9 men living there with their cars. 9 cars. We have a typical old suburban street designed in the 1950s so it’s not wide. The head of the organization made the commitment last night “we will never park cars in the street. “That is of course complete bullshit and he’s throwing his staff under the bus to carry that out. They will need a part-time valet parking assistant to shuffle cars.
On the plus side, these guys pay $5000-$6000 a month so that right there is weeding out the riffraff. With that money they don’t even get meals provided because any food service would require the operator to comply with health department laws.
Also a plus: These guys are also are required to work, part time. So that is great because they’re involved in our community or nearby and Lord knows my little town needs workers.
When we talk about unintended consequences of all these government laws, the Fair housing standards act according to this operator, defines men in group homes as complying with all requirements of single-family zoning. Once again Nanny government put stupid tentacles into my life.
I fought battles with The Fed’s Housing and Urban Development employees in my city neighborhood and never dreamed the idiotic Federal “Fairness in Housing” rules and regs would invade my rural space. I’ve said many times on this website those interactions with Housing and Urban development caused me to move from pulling the Democratic lever to the Republican lever in the voting booth.
So is the government paying the group home because if they were self paid they would live elsewhere for that kind of money. Also people in group homes usually are poor and don’t own cars.
No government handouts, this is private pay all the way.
This is not a typical ”group home.” It is a country club alcohol recovery program that claims 70% success compared to national average of 17%.
https://learntoliverecovery.com/
It has only been operating for 2 years at this location so who knows the ultimate success. The program is cool: they work with these guy s to actively show them how to live without also how to live without alcohol. Physical activity, socializing, community involvement. And yes, living in a town that has more wineries and distilleries than churches.
I don’t have objection to the program,I have objection to nine unrelated men living in one single family home on my block. That is too many.
C—- I’m sorry to hear this and of course I have no advice about adult children. I just want to know, have they purchased your house? Did you close that deal?. Fortunately, I think real estate prices have not plummeted so whoever buys your house you’re probably still going to do well, but man if I were you, I would get that deal done.
If I remember correctly you’re not making any money on the house— the rent he pays versus the mortgage/taxes you pay and taxes, so if you’re still losing money on the house, assuming my assumption is correct, that is a HUGE problem.
I could be wrong though about your cash out on the house.
what time you want me to delete this message I will delete it
edited to add: you are a mom, so, of course, you can’t keep your nose out of it, but I’m sure you won’t overdo your advice. I would tell him you recognize his health issues and have some concern, but say it in a way that indicates you are staying entirely in your own lane, the lane of Mom who won’t get involved in the nitty-gritty of his life.
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Last edited by catherine; 8-16-23 at 2:23pm.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
Simply, I hope you unload the house soon if a time comes when your son splits with wife and loses two incomes.
This is the scenario we were all concerned about—suddenly he cannot afford rent, you are unable to kick him out because kid.
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