“oH come on! Library patrons viewing pornography in public and the librarian wrings her hands saying: But it’s a First Amendment issue and there’s not a thing we can do about it? Ridiculous! In his April 1 column, ”Web filters at libraries are overdue” (Living/Arts), Alex Beam only perpetuates the stereotype of a soft-spoken, powerless profession and does not portray the creative information specialists that librarians are today. Our libraries are public places, but that does not mean that there cannot be rules. There are limits to what is acceptable public behavior in our society, and as long as libraries can post and enforce acceptable use policies, we can prevent our libraries from becoming intimidating, hostile, and offensive to those who use or work in them. Today’s librarians are proud to provide the world at the fingertips of their patrons and they are present to help them sift through the often overwhelming amount of information.” (from Boston Globe – Letters to the Editor)
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