Citizens group loses bid to restrict YA materials

West Bend Parents for Safe Libraries spokeswoman Ginny Maziarka spoke at the June, 2009 West Bend library board meeting to request changes in library policy. The group requested five changes to the policy, including the relocation of controversial YA books to the adult section, removal of references to certain controversial books on the library website, and a new labeling system to identify sexually explicit books. More than 60 spoke out for and against the petition at the three-hour meeting. In the end, the library board voted unanimously to reject the request. Free speech advocates are calling it a victory for intellectual freedom and minors' rights.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• West Bend
• Wisconsin
• libraries
• censorship
• intellectual freedom
• books
• YA books
• citizen advocacy
• library board meetings
• ALA
• WLA

[mightykaytor]

Oh god, she said "lie-berry."

[milowent]

The Holy Bible is full of lots of terrible stuff (whores, murders, etc) that can confuse younger readers. I hope West Bend Citizens For Censorship keep their Bibles under lock and key, because their children may be corrupted if they read the Bible.

[psyduck420]

West Bend Library: most dangerous library in the USA

[kc7riy]

ccv707, thanks for taking the constitution out of context. Nice try.

 No one wanted to get rid of these books, they simply wanted a change in policy so that children under the age of 18 (and that looks like most of you here) couldn't check the books out without parent consent. msboshful has a pretty good video account of the incident in West Bend, but does her documentary a disservice by not point this fact out in her explanation of events .

[kc7riy]

ccv707, thanks for taking the constitution out of context. Nice try. No one wanted to get rid of these books, they simply wanted a change in policy so that children under the age of 18 (and that looks like most of you here) couldn't check the books out without parent consent. msboshful has a pretty good video account of the incident in West Bend, but does her documentary a disservice by not point this fact out in her explanation of events .

[Peterbsandel]

Looks like she ate all of the 80 books.

[kevlonk]

"We reject their standards and their principles."

So you reject freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and freedom of print? In that case, lady, you're living in the wrong country.

[jsmog]

Show this to a teenager...so they know what they are up against

[coolguy1919191919191]

she can go kill her slef she be help us all

[MachineGunnKitty]

I think it also says somewhere in the Bible that it is a sin to be unhealthy and obese, much like Ms. Maziarka, because it is destroying the temple that God gave you. If you believe that being gay is a choice Ms. Maziarka, I would contend that you are also choosing to sin by being extremely overweight. Perhaps we should ban you from cookbooks.

[newwavewitch]

Shall non-Christian families lobby to have all Judeo-Chritian material removed from the library because it doesn't fit THEIR agenda?

Ms. Maziarka, your pathetic attempt to wrangle the citizens of your community into your own beliefs and political views carried under the false guise of protecting your children is not only blatantly obvious... it is also disgusting.

[headly66]

By the way behemoth, the Bible has more sex, murder, killing of children, torture, stoning, decapitations, deflowering of virgins, homosexuality & tons of other crap your opposing then any other book I have seen. You are UN- American and a waste of our precious air, stop breathing now, please!