Soon I expect to receive my mail-in ballot. I will mark NO on
both Measures A and B. I will sign and date the postage paid
envelope, place my ballot inside, and mail immediately. I will also
ensure that my husband and sons vote in a timely manner.
Soon I expect to receive my mail-in ballot. I will mark NO on both Measures A and B. I will sign and date the postage paid envelope, place my ballot inside, and mail immediately. I will also ensure that my husband and sons vote in a timely manner.
Voting NO on Measures A and B is easy this week, with income tax looming. If B fails, I will save $12 a year. If A fails, I will save an additional $33.66. ‘Tain’t much, but every little bit helps.
Twelve years ago, the library asked for its first Measure A. Then, as now, they deemed themselves in dire financial straits. Then, as now, they closed the libraries on Mondays. Then, one of the selling points they mentioned was that the tax would end in 10 years. Now, they claim that the new Measure A will not raise our taxes, and fail to mention that voting NO on Measure A will lower our taxes.
Twelve years ago, my kids and I were avid library users. Therefore, even though I disapproved of tax increases in principle, I wrote no columns against Measure A. I quietly voted no, and the Measure passed without me.
Immediately, the libraries opened back up on Mondays. This was interesting, because the tax dollars had not yet arrived in the library coffers. Queried, the library clerks admitted candidly, “It’s a thank you to the voters who voted Yes on A.”
In Nov. 1996, the Internet was installed in county libraries. My friend Matthew expressed some uneasiness to me. “There’s pornography on the Internet,” he told me. “What if children get into it?”
I scoffed, “Oh, Matthew, the librarians would never let that happen.”
By Dec. 1996, we saw our first incidents of obvious minors accessing pornography in libraries. We began to research. We found that California Penal Code 313 prohibits any person or entity from exhibiting, displaying, or distributing harmful matter to minors, or obscenity to anyone. In February, we wrote letters to the Gilroy and Morgan Hill libraries about the need to comply with state law.
In March, the libraries responded, citing ALA Policy, that all library resources must be available to all library patrons, regardless of age. We began to attend meetings. We circulated a petition. We responded to the library’s letter.
On May 18, 1997, we took a police officer to Gilroy Library to demonstrate that illegal material is available on children’s terminals. The officer was shocked; he, like most other sane individuals, assumed that the library was using some sort of filtering technology. He took a report. Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu verified that material was illegal (obscene), but said: no victim, no crime.
More meetings, 2,000 signatures, interviews with MSNBC, CNN, and the Jim Lehr News Hour interview. In July we picketed all nine member libraries and collected more signatures from aghast patrons. Still more meetings, packing them with 50 speakers, each allotted his three minutes of outrage.
Nov. 4, 1997: Election Day. 2 JPA members who favored open access and were expected to be re-seated lost their respective elections, including Gilroy’s Connie Rogers. At the next meeting, County Supervisor Joe Simitian looked at his colleagues and said, there is a cost here. We need to do something.
After five more boring meetings, on Apr. 23, 1998, JPA voted to filter the children’s side. In June, they voted for an introductory screen on all terminals, which states that it is illegal to display pornography to minors. In July the filters were installed.
In January 1999, we attended a JPA meeting to report an obscenity exposure on children’s side. We asked for a policy prohibiting pornography.
And in June 1999, the Board approved existing guidelines as “Policy.” Librarians will not monitor. Parental consent for minors is not required. Open access to all patrons, regardless of age.
Consequently, if a patron complains that a child is viewing pornography, a librarian, at her discretion, may move the porn-surfing patron to another terminal or tell the offended patron that the porn-surfer has a right to privacy.
I will oppose all library taxes until the library either implements a policy prohibiting pornography, or as CIPA allows, filters all terminals. Preferably both.
