“Pelham Library Declines to Discuss Calling on a Teen’s Book Choice”
A teen was researching gun carrying and concealment laws at the Pelham Public Library.
A concerned librarian called the High School to report it. The director of the library said they do not normally do this, put felt they should check into it. The student was called into the principal’s office to find out more about why the student was looking for books about gun carrying and concealment. The police were called and questioned the student, and they found out the student was doing research on this subject. The student was concerned about going away to college, and was concerned about college shootings.
As a parent of a college freshman you have a fear about college shootings, because there have been so many of them. I am sure the librarian was thinking if she/he did not report this and something happened they could not live with themselves. Maybe the librarian had a student at the high school. So a part of me understands how all this happened, however…that poor student the likelihood of the student returning to that library again is pretty much slim to none. The library violated the privacy and the rights of the student. Fear can play a huge factor in how people respond to situations. Intellectual Freedom tends to just get thrown out the window if fear is involved. There is a bigger issue at stake here and that is the student’s privacy and right to read whatever he/she wants to read was in question. The library has the materials on the shelf so it is the right of the patron to read without question.
We are all living through stressful times and because of this procedures need to be put in place to make sure situations like this can be avoided.
So what do you think?
A teen was researching gun carrying and concealment laws at the Pelham Public Library.
A concerned librarian called the High School to report it. The director of the library said they do not normally do this, put felt they should check into it. The student was called into the principal’s office to find out more about why the student was looking for books about gun carrying and concealment. The police were called and questioned the student, and they found out the student was doing research on this subject. The student was concerned about going away to college, and was concerned about college shootings.
As a parent of a college freshman you have a fear about college shootings, because there have been so many of them. I am sure the librarian was thinking if she/he did not report this and something happened they could not live with themselves. Maybe the librarian had a student at the high school. So a part of me understands how all this happened, however…that poor student the likelihood of the student returning to that library again is pretty much slim to none. The library violated the privacy and the rights of the student. Fear can play a huge factor in how people respond to situations. Intellectual Freedom tends to just get thrown out the window if fear is involved. There is a bigger issue at stake here and that is the student’s privacy and right to read whatever he/she wants to read was in question. The library has the materials on the shelf so it is the right of the patron to read without question.
We are all living through stressful times and because of this procedures need to be put in place to make sure situations like this can be avoided.
So what do you think?
Korngold, Leslie (8 May 2009). "Pelham Library Declines to Discuss Calling School on a Teen's Book Choice". LoHud.com. the Journal News. Accessed 20 May 2009.
