3) Is it ever right to censor (or limit access) to materials? Take a stand and defend your position, explaining why or why not with examples. ����������� I don�t think it�s ever right to censor materials at the library. It�s not the library�s responsibility to make sure everyone is pleased with the current collection of books and other materials. If we were to let everyone in to dispose of the books they didn�t approve of, then the collection would get very slim and very biased in certain directions. There are people who are offended or think they are offended by things they haven�t read but say because it�s a book with gay characters or it mentions wizards then it shouldn�t be read by anyone. We, as librarians are there to provide access to the information, not determine what won�t make someone mad. ����������� One of the major reason�s people want to censor the library�s collection is to �protect the children�. The society at large seems to be easily swayed when someone throws in the phrase �it�s for the children�, without looking at the facts or how it really affects the children. Most children I have seen at the library stay in the children�s section. And those elsewhere in the building are usually with their parents. So I think the threat that children are going to wander about and stumble on the few books with �adult� content (whatever that means) is very slim. There is also the supposed threat that children with be using one of the computers connected to the internet and will stumble upon a porn site and steal their innocence, or someone surfing porn sites when a child walks by will allow them to see things they shouldn�t. Well, again, at every library I�ve been to there have been clear signs saying what you can and cannot access at the computers. And the computers are in clear view of the staff so anyone who looks at those sites for any prolonged period of time will be noticed and dealt with. Some would like a filter put on those computers, but I can think of how you would have to program something like that and it would take a very intelligent algorithms and someone could still probably find a way around it. All of the critics of the library who want to censor books for the children forget one thing; it�s the parent�s responsibility to watch their kids and what they read. It�s not up the library to watch their children or to decide what they should or should not have access to. ����������� One thing that amazed me the first time I heard it was that people will actually come into the library and get books off the shelf and mark out the stuff they don�t want others to read. I can understand if someone doesn�t want to read something in a certain book but why would you deface an item to have your way. The library is not there to bow to everyone�s desires as to what they should be able to check out and what they should not. In a perfect world it should be just the opposite of what these people want. They would like only the books they approve, because of language, content, or viewpoint, but an ideal library would contain books covering all subjects and viewpoints, so that everyone could find what they are looking for. No one ever said you have to read every book, if there is something someone doesn�t like they have the option to not read it. There is an issue of censorship by omission. A library could just not obtain a certain book in order to not give all views of an issue. Most libraries won�t have the financial resources to buy every book out there but they should attempt to cover as many topics and views as possible. Now there are boundaries, mainly in the area of elementary school libraries. You probably don�t want an illustrated Kama Sutra at the school for the 1st graders, but no one is suggesting that would ever happen.