Comments on: The Restricted Section: Why You Need An Escort to Check Out Harry Potter http://matadorlife.com/the-restricted-section-why-you-need-an-escort-to-check-out-harry-potter/ Thrive Between Trips Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:28:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Michelle http://matadorlife.com/the-restricted-section-why-you-need-an-escort-to-check-out-harry-potter/comment-page-1/#comment-4437 Michelle Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:42:40 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=4447#comment-4437 Thanks for your comment, Robyn! I'm curious to see if anyone else is complaining too. The girl that first brought my attention to the Orlando library issue wrote a letter of complaint and received a response – you can see it here: http://sarahnfisk.blogspot.com/2010/03/orlando-public-library-part-ii.html Thanks for your comment, Robyn! I’m curious to see if anyone else is complaining too. The girl that first brought my attention to the Orlando library issue wrote a letter of complaint and received a response – you can see it here:

http://sarahnfisk.blogspot.com/2010/03/orlando-public-library-part-ii.html

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]]> By: Robyn http://matadorlife.com/the-restricted-section-why-you-need-an-escort-to-check-out-harry-potter/comment-page-1/#comment-4432 Robyn Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:22:26 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=4447#comment-4432 As a librarian I have to say this seems really extreme. Our library has a Teen Zone. The computers there are reserved for teens (6th-12th grade) during certain hours and we try to keep kids younger than 6th grade out of the teen zone so that teens can really feel it's *their* space. But certainly anyone can browse through that area for books. I'd be curious to know how long the Orlando library has had this policy in place and how much longer it will be in place if/when they start getting a lot of complaints from patrons. It'd be great to get a follow-up to this issue later on. As a librarian I have to say this seems really extreme. Our library has a Teen Zone. The computers there are reserved for teens (6th-12th grade) during certain hours and we try to keep kids younger than 6th grade out of the teen zone so that teens can really feel it’s *their* space. But certainly anyone can browse through that area for books. I’d be curious to know how long the Orlando library has had this policy in place and how much longer it will be in place if/when they start getting a lot of complaints from patrons.
It’d be great to get a follow-up to this issue later on.

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]]> By: Michelle http://matadorlife.com/the-restricted-section-why-you-need-an-escort-to-check-out-harry-potter/comment-page-1/#comment-4430 Michelle Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:58:44 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=4447#comment-4430 Eva - you're right, it's a different thing. For me, I picture last time I went to the library, which was this past weekend – it was pretty crowded, the librarians were super busy, and if they'd had that policy, I would have had to pull a librarian away from his work to watch me look at a section I have just as much right to browse as anyone else. Honestly, on that particular day I didn't have the time to wait for a librarian to become available. It's not exactly censorship, but in certain situations people are going to be too uncomfortable to search for books, and that's the start of something that resembles censorship. JoAnna – how am I just now learning that you're a YA novelist too??!! We should chat about this sometime! Eva – you’re right, it’s a different thing. For me, I picture last time I went to the library, which was this past weekend – it was pretty crowded, the librarians were super busy, and if they’d had that policy, I would have had to pull a librarian away from his work to watch me look at a section I have just as much right to browse as anyone else. Honestly, on that particular day I didn’t have the time to wait for a librarian to become available. It’s not exactly censorship, but in certain situations people are going to be too uncomfortable to search for books, and that’s the start of something that resembles censorship.

JoAnna – how am I just now learning that you’re a YA novelist too??!! We should chat about this sometime!

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]]> By: JoAnna http://matadorlife.com/the-restricted-section-why-you-need-an-escort-to-check-out-harry-potter/comment-page-1/#comment-4428 JoAnna Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:59:21 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=4447#comment-4428 I agree that prohibiting people younger than 13 or older than 18 is definitely an issue. My husband is a high school English teacher and I am working on a YA novel; we spend more time browsing the YA section than any other part of the library. Unless libraries provide two full sets of YA books so that everyone can browse freely, I don't think areas like Club Central are appropriate or fair for any patrons. I agree that prohibiting people younger than 13 or older than 18 is definitely an issue. My husband is a high school English teacher and I am working on a YA novel; we spend more time browsing the YA section than any other part of the library. Unless libraries provide two full sets of YA books so that everyone can browse freely, I don’t think areas like Club Central are appropriate or fair for any patrons.

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]]> By: Helen http://matadorlife.com/the-restricted-section-why-you-need-an-escort-to-check-out-harry-potter/comment-page-1/#comment-4426 Helen Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:02:13 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=4447#comment-4426 As a former librarian and avid reader, I find this idea disturbing. I'm wondering what I would have been able to read at the Daytona Beach library when I was in grade 3 (and read all of Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books) if I would have needed to be escorted into the adult or YA areas of the library. Presently, I love to browse through the new books at my library branch, and YA books are always good. How would I ask to be escorted through the section to browse, when I have no idea what I'm looking for? And who would escort me? Our library, like most others, is very short staffed. This is really a form of discrimination, albeit reverse discrimination. The allure of a library is that all of the books are potentially available, without escort or recommendation. It all makes me remember how awkward I felt while attending an education workshop which could only be accessed via an elevator in the kitchen area of the building, so that I needed to find a staff person just to use the restroom/go to lunch/return to the talks. What I remember is not how accomodating the staff were, but rather how disabled this made me feel, since nearly everyone else at the workshop just trotted up the stairs whenever they felt like it. As a former librarian and avid reader, I find this idea disturbing. I’m wondering what I would have been able to read at the Daytona Beach library when I was in grade 3 (and read all of Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books) if I would have needed to be escorted into the adult or YA areas of the library. Presently, I love to browse through the new books at my library branch, and YA books are always good. How would I ask to be escorted through the section to browse, when I have no idea what I’m looking for? And who would escort me? Our library, like most others, is very short staffed. This is really a form of discrimination, albeit reverse discrimination. The allure of a library is that all of the books are potentially available, without escort or recommendation.

It all makes me remember how awkward I felt while attending an education workshop which could only be accessed via an elevator in the kitchen area of the building, so that I needed to find a staff person just to use the restroom/go to lunch/return to the talks. What I remember is not how accomodating the staff were, but rather how disabled this made me feel, since nearly everyone else at the workshop just trotted up the stairs whenever they felt like it.

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]]> By: Eva http://matadorlife.com/the-restricted-section-why-you-need-an-escort-to-check-out-harry-potter/comment-page-1/#comment-4424 Eva Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:44:52 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=4447#comment-4424 Wow, never heard of anything like this (teen-only rooms included) before. I'd be curious to know if a particular incident or series of incidents sparked the Orlando policy? It's certainly very strange, but I'm not sure I see the leap from an escort-only section to censorship. Misguidedly trying to protect kids from the content in books (censorship) is something pretty different from (also potentially misguidedly) trying to protect kids from dangerous adults. Wow, never heard of anything like this (teen-only rooms included) before. I’d be curious to know if a particular incident or series of incidents sparked the Orlando policy?

It’s certainly very strange, but I’m not sure I see the leap from an escort-only section to censorship. Misguidedly trying to protect kids from the content in books (censorship) is something pretty different from (also potentially misguidedly) trying to protect kids from dangerous adults.

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