violadamore2 writes to share this article.
Registration might be required. (I created a login of [email protected] password lisnews if you want to try it – A.K.)
“In addition, there is a resolution (but having no force of law) being introduced Monday, May 9, in the Oklahoma House, by Sally Kern, R-Bethany, House district #84, which would require books “unsuitable and inappropriate for children” be removed to the adult section.
violadamore2 writes to share this article.
Registration might be required. (I created a login of [email protected] password lisnews if you want to try it – A.K.)
“In addition, there is a resolution (but having no force of law) being introduced Monday, May 9, in the Oklahoma House, by Sally Kern, R-Bethany, House district #84, which would require books “unsuitable and inappropriate for children” be removed to the adult section.
Ms. Kern is the institgator of the current fracas involving what is appropriate for child reading.
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Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats is taking an active part in supporting the current professional standards of the Metro Library System in Oklahoma City. We have donated two additional copies of “King & King” to help fill the increased reserve requests.
You can contact me, James Nimmo, treasurer, at [email protected], webpage, www.oklahomastonewall.org.”
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Children’s books come under fire at library
By Karen Klinka
The Oklahoman
A committee dealing with complaints about four children’s books with homosexual themes decided Thursday to keep the books on shelves in the children’s section.
NEWS 9 report
About 80 people attended Thursday’s meeting of the system’s Public Services Committee. The group is reviewing the Metropolitan Library System’s policies on selecting library books and responding to customer complaints.
Twenty people signed up to comment on children’s books in the meeting at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library.
The committee’s policy review was sparked by petitions presented at the March 24 and April 21 meetings of the Metropolitan Library Commission.
The petitions asked that “books having homosexual and other inappropriate age-related sexual content” be moved from the children’s section to the libraries’ adult sections.
The books being criticized are “King & King,” “Daddy’s Roommate,” “The Duke Who Outlawed Jelly Beans” and “Heather Has Two Mommies.”
Many of Thursday’s speakers said children’s books showing family situations different from traditional marriage are “pornography.”
Executive Director Donna Morris disputed this. “None of the material in question is illegal or pornographic,” she said.
Committee member Peggy Winters asked why the libraries couldn’t put such books “in a special category or on a special shelf” not accessible to young children.
Committee chairman Jose Jimenez said: “But how are we going to decide which books to put there? Is that going to be my responsibility? Or yours? Or someone else’s?”
In the end, committee members opted to let stand the system’s policies.
“We’re a public library, and we’re following professional procedures,” Jimenez said.
Morris said existing policies reflect the library system’s mission to “facilitate the free flow of information and ideas by providing access to materials, services and programs to Oklahoma County’s diverse community.”
The committee’s report likely will be presented at the library commission’s next meeting at 3:30 p.m. May 19 at the Downtown Library, 300 Park Ave.
The commission could choose to keep current policies, change the policy or return the issue to the committee.”
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