Masturbation epidemic at SJPL

Jim Faith writes “This article from the San Jose State Daily Spartan, “Some patrons use privacy screens to view pornography,” and descibes the situation caused by privacy screens. As on library worker says, “we call them porno screens.” Sgt. John Laws, of the San Jose State University Police Department, said people using the privacy screens ‘sometimes get carried away’ and are caught masturbating at the computers.” —- I think the library needs to start equiping the stations with jars of vasoline and boxes of kleenex, and issue the librarians rubber gloves and lysol spayers.—-
http://www.thespartandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART /2005/02/15/4212c6a738d06?in_archive=1“

February 22, 2005 by rochelle Uncategorized 9

Anonymous Patron says:

February 22, 2005 at 9:41 am

Future of Public Libraries?
San Jose U – isn’t this place or environs said to be the porno-making capital of the world? Seems like a natural – in such an area – to have the vaseline and other accoutrements available for porno lovers in the public library, a new extension of library services, doncha think? Perhaps herein lies the future of public libraries everywhere. Don’t come to a library for books, come for… (oops, no pun intended).

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shoe says:

February 22, 2005 at 6:56 pm

I couldn’t do it

I couldn’t work there. I’d be kicking them out.

If a librarian sees someone viewing pornography at a computer or another patron complains, the librarian is supposed to offer a privacy screen to the user, Laws said.

You’re viewing porn… and I come up and say, “Hey, here’s a privacy screen so you can view porn in public?” I don’t think so! If that’s the case, I feel bad for the guy that was recently arrested or fined or whatever for having a porno playing in the DVD player in the back of his SUV… That’s arguably more private than a, er, public library.

If you’re opposed to filters, that’s cool. But if your patrons are viewing stuff hot enough to get them masturbating in public, then a line has to be drawn… Maybe the privacy screens should meet with an unfortunate accident and people should be booted for viewing, you know, big bangs not related to the creation of the universe.

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kylere says:

February 22, 2005 at 7:54 pm

Re:I couldn’t do it
I would comment on this, but it seems to be a sticky situation 🙂

But all joking aside, eeewwwww yech.

I am all for civil rights and no censorship, but the masturbation thing crosses a line. Perhaps the cameras they have need to be positioned above, so as not to see a screen, but to ensure patrons KNOW they are being completely observed otherwise. Then they could use the tapes to aid indecent exposure arrests.

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opaqueentity says:

February 22, 2005 at 11:22 pm

Re:I couldn’t do it
I would have thought that the actual act of masterbating in a public library is illegal, in that it’s a lewd act in public. Surely makes no difference if it’s behind a privacy screen, in the toilets, behind the journals or in the foyer. So it’s banned anyway.
Then it just becomes a matter of enforcement.

I’m guessing there wouldn’t be many libraries who actually have a no masterbating section in the Librarys rules and regulation, I guess it could come under kissing and petting?

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mdoneil says:

February 23, 2005 at 2:56 am

Re:I couldn’t do it
Once again my mantra would work.

Step back and say in a sonorous tone:
“Please put your penis away, that is inappropriate.”

Keep repeating (lathering and rinsing) until the pervert puts his penis away.

Privacy screens -holy Lord how nutty can you get. I can understand hunching over the screen so people can’t shoulder surf your bank account info, but I patently refuse to provide shelter so some disgusting pervert can bash the bishop.

What will they want next pup tents in which to sodomize one another?

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knitnick says:

February 23, 2005 at 8:26 am

Re: I couldn’t work there
I couldn’t either, we kick them out all the time! And who says that the kind of big bangs they are looking at are not related to the creation of the universe? (evil grins)
and, privacy or not, filters or not, porno is not appropriate for general public places, we often have small children where they can easily see the screens on the computers that adults are using…most folks don’t have a problem with being “normal” in public, but for those who cannot control their hormones, we need those rules! You would not believe some of the things I’ve had to clean up out of our Young Adult room.

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Anonymous Patron says:

February 23, 2005 at 11:52 pm

sloppy journalism
The article quotes university police officer Sgt. Laws as saying:

“If a librarian sees someone viewing pornography at a computer or another patron complains, the librarian is supposed to offer a privacy screen to the user….”.

Is the librarian really supposed to offer a patron a privacy screen to the user after he or she sees that user viewing pornography? Is that what the management staff is really telling the librarian? Why didn’t the writer of this article verify Law’s statement with the library management. This article seems like sensationalistic sloppy journalism to me.

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Anonymous Patron says:

February 24, 2005 at 2:24 am

Re:Future of Public Libraries?
I’ve always thought we should have little old ladies with black patent leather purses (with, not a brick, but maybe a medium-sized book inside, for weight) patrolling the internet computers. They could give those viewing pornography a whack on the shoulder and holler, “What do you think you’re doing, young man?!!” I think drawing everyone’s attention to what they’re doing could prove an excellent deterrent.

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Redcardlibrarian says:

February 24, 2005 at 8:20 am

Re:Future of Public Libraries?
Hmmmm. That appears to be a stereotype 😉 I worked at one library where the little old ladies just loved one of the clerks. She, the clerk, read the same racy novels they liked, and knew all the good parts. They would take the books up to her and find out if they were “good” enough to check out. If she told them that the book was boring, they would return it to the shelf.

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