Durst writes “From the sound of this article, two candidates for Omaha, Nebraska’s City Council are gearing up for battle.
One candidate, a member of the Library board, believes an updated policy allowing children to check out R-Rated videos and DVDs is going to put the responsibility back in the hands of the parents. The other candidate says his opponent (and by association, the Library board) is “out of touch.”
What do you think?”
Omaha Library Policy
Doesn’t the city of Omaha have real problems for someone running for the city council to use for a campaign issue?
Re:Omaha Library Policy
You seem to have a real problem constructing a proper sentence.
Okay
No reason to let children check out R rated flicks. No reason to let it happen. Is my library the only one in the world with a kids card that is a different color for a reason?
Re:Okay
Wow! A different card altogether. Very interesting.
Of Two Minds
On the one hand, I agree with the Board: put the responsibility in the hands of the parents. Then again, I am a parent with 2 kids under the age of 10. I pretty much know everything they watch, hear, and read outside of school. That said, I am wondering if the library couldn’t work in the same manner as many movie theaters – that is, if the ticket seller at the theater doesn’t buy that you are 17, they won’t sell you a ticket.
I know that gets into some gray areas because public libraries aren’t out to make money and theaters are. But there are similarities in that many parents will just as easily drop their kids at the theater as they will the library. Of course, there are no snacks in the library…
Cartoon
There is a political cartoon in the Wednesday Omaha World Herald about this issue.
Re:Of Two Minds
Yeah, but the Omaha Public Library doesn’t make parents repsonsible in actual practice. I was in an OPL branch library the other day with my 7 year old child. I didn’t have my library card and we only had her card. We were going to check out several books for her and a couple of DVDs (g-rate movies for her). My daughter was standing right next to me at the desk when I gave the library worker my daughter’s library card. My daughter is in first grade, she doesn’t carry a purse and doesn’t have a wallet. It is not unreasonable or unusual for a parent to carry their child’s library card. I also presented my driver’s license and informed the library worker that this child was my daughter. The library worker then asked my 7 year old daughter if it was okay for me to check out the books for her. (WTF? #1)
At the same transaction, I asked about using one of the computers for the both of us. At OPL you have to have your library card and pin number to access the Internet. My daughter and I wanted to access the Internet and I asked for my daughter’s pin number. The library worker would not give me my daughter’s pin number without her permission. The library worker literarily had to ask my daughter standing right next to me if it was okay to give me the pin number. (WTF? #2)
My daughter is 7 years old. She doesn’t own the library card, her card is my responsiblity. If anything happens to a book or item that was checked out under her card, I am ultimately responsible for the item. If they know the parent is the parent, they need not ask the child for permission (especially a 7 year old who has no legal capacity whatsoever to give consent).
In all, I am legally responsible for my child. I clearly informed and gave proof to the library worker that I was the child’s parent. In addition, I was with my daughter and using the computer with her. I was monitoring her library behavior. This was not a situtation where I was alone trying to use her card, my daughter was standing right next to me. In addition, all these transactions were for materials for my daughter.