I suspect I'm probably not alone in harboring a less-than-flattering image of librarians. Not that I think they are evil or mean, but its just that librarians are typically old women who like to bust kids' chops for talking or having candy in the library. I've never really considered them as defenders of our nation, but I'm beginning to realize that is exactly what many of them are.
Libraries are neat. One of my proudest possessions (beyond my nearly complete collection of Bionicle) is my personal library. I have a lot of good books and music that offer serious enrichment to a person, and real libraries are uh, way better, for lack of an appropriate descriptor.
The sad thing is that the wonder that is a library is under attack by, yup, you guessed it, the United States government and a bunch of well-intentioned imbeciles who are leading us down the highway of ruin. A long time ago, someone (I don't know who, actually, but I know it was a politician in DC) tried to force libraries to install internet filtering software on all of their public computers in order to protect and "think of the children!" or risk losing funding. Librarians stood up to that and refused, winning appeals and generally making good sense in their argument that filters restrict free speech and not only block out naughty sites like Stile Project and the White House sex pages, but also useful health sites dealing with sex, venereal disease, pregnancy, and pathological anal stimulation.
Sadly, the Supreme Court struck down their challenge to the law, ruling that it is constitutional to tie funding to public libraries to their willingness to install filtering software. They seem to think that the inclusion of an opt-out provision in the law whereby a library patron can ask a librarian to unblock a censored website makes it all okay. If I was trying to figure out what the green ooze I found in my underwear was, I sure wouldn't want to draw attention to the fact that I was researching it. It just shows that the SC justices still believe that we are total idiots. If they can corrupt and pre-empt the election of a US president without the nation getting upset, there is no reason to expect them to uphold a lot of the other notions that my country used to stand for either, I suppose.
But there are librarians out there not willing to give up the fight for the purpose of libraries. This Lancaster, Ohio library has decided that it will forgo $9,000 in funding and continue to provide unfettered access to the internet. Although that is but a small portion of their $3,000,000 budget, it still isn't chump change. Power to them, and all other libraries!
I always end up writing so much more than I intend to. I also wanted to mention that the PATRIOT Act gives the FBI the power to check your activity at a library but the librarians cannot legally tell you that you have been investigated. Slashdot links #1 and #2, as well as some general info on the FBI and privacy from EPIC.org.
However, some librarians have put up signs indicating that the FBI may be checking your records in their library but they can't tell you about it. A real nice form of resistance. I couldn't find the link though. Will maybe try later.
Anyway, the whole point of this is that librarians = good. I go slep now.
Posted by Nutrimentia at June 26, 2003 12:04 AM | TrackBack