Beware the Thought Police

Hello All,
It's been a crazy week for me. Myself and two other fine gentlemen did a presentation about Graphic Novels and it went smashingly. Of course me being me, I had to put a massive amount of work into it. Sometimes I really wish I was one of those people who settle for the mediocre at work. Put no, I have to be the best. So I didn't really get any reading done this week. However I do have something to rant about so feel free to sit back and enjoy.

Anyone who follows the book blogs knows that it's Banned Books Week. As a public librarian I know that this is a big deal. Year after year it becomes one of those things that folks shake their fists at and shout "How dare you?" whenever the idea of banned literature is mentioned. Librarians, booksellers, and readers in general pat themselves on the back. Displays are set up so readers can shake their heads and say "I didn't think this was still done."

Here's where I'm going to say something that may stir the small readership of this blog. For all the individuals who I hear all the time who rail against the idea of banned books, I think that are an equal amount of folks who are perfectly fine with the idea. This must be true because the ALA faces book challenges all the time. Of course these challenges are always made in order to either 1) protect the children, or 2) protect the morals of the community. Now public libraries are run by government funding, hence citizens feel that they have a free say in what a library carries. This is worthy of debate. How much obligation does the common citizen have on the morality of it's community? I say none. The only obligation that I have is to my own moral code. It's the actions that I decide to take, not what I think in my mind.

Then there's the Law. Here in the U.S. we as a citizenry have decided that there are certain actions that an individual cannot do in order for us all to live together. I'm down with that, as long as none of that involves telling me how to think. I'm okay with crossing the street when the light is green, as long as a world of extreme anarchy can exist in my head.

Now I can tell you from experience that librarians take their jobs seriously. Collection development is not a joke. If a book contains material that is illegal ie. child pornography then it doesn't make it to the shelf. Why? Because as a society we have decided that child pornography is illegal. You also won't find pornographic magazines in the library I work for because they just end up getting stolen. And because in my state it is the law that pornography has to be kept out of view of kids. Again it's the law. At my library we take this very seriously.

I still cannot figure out why there are groups of people who believe they have a greater right to decide what I can read. Have they forgotten that the word "public" involves all of us? I may think that Twilight is tripe, however I would not tell someone that they have no right to read it. The great thing about a public library is that it is open to everyone. Yep that means "everyone." Until we as a community decide differently then every book has value. From Mein Kampf to the Bible to Huckleberry Finn. I would never tell anyone that they have no right to read a certain book. Why do others feel they have the right to tell me? Because in the end they feel they are morally superior. I wish they would stop. And then there would be no Banned Books Week and we'd all be better off.

Reading List
Books
Preacher
Arkham Asylum

Magazines
Newsweek

Comics
Gotham Sirens #4

Check Out Count: Lower than it's been in forever.

Comic Pull List:Amazing Spider-Man #607, Gotham City Sirens #4, Green Lantern #46, Runaways 3 #14, Superman #692, Wonder Woman #36

Have a great week! Book Slave.