For most the idea of censorship of any kind is abhorrant, but consider this story from 2005:
http://www.lisnews.org/node/15711

“Sexually explicit Spanish-language comic books are being removed from Denver library shelves and sent to downtown headquarters for inspection, library officials said Thursday.
The books, called fotonovelas, were flagged by talk-radio host Peter Boyles this week.”

As I recall, Denver librarians defended the presence of these pornographic novellas in the public library and fought their removal.

Personally I don’t like my tax dollars being spent on sexually explicit comic books. I would prefer that my public library not spend money on such things. I would have no problem with those books being removed (i.e. “censored”). So we should temper our opposition to censorship with the knowledge that sometimes extremely liberal librarians go too far in deciding what kinds of materials they purchase for library patrons use.

On censorship: come on: we all believe in censorship (do you want “how to build bombs,” or “how to kill classmates,” or “how to seduce a classmate” or “how to force your teacher to give you an A” or “Debbie Does Dallas” in our public libraries?) , it’s just an argument ( or discussion, we hope) over where to draw the line.
Let’s not use the word censorship as a slogan Look at what she wanted to censor from where and why… Should sixth-graders be instructed on how to use condoms? Good question.
Also, don’t dismiss all anti-contraception ideas as solely the province of “true believers.” There are cogent arguments along these lines.
The bulk of Western thinking on this changed largely due to technology, so the moral issues haven’t changed that much, perhaps.
And there’s a whiff of elitism in it all.
Used a rubber lately, Mr. Simon?
Why not?
Well, that’s my point…Many of the same people urging all the hoi polloi to use condoms would never lower themselves to do the same…
It’s so…oh, je ne don’t know…. declasse……
So listen to the anti-contraception crowd a little: they are much more egalitarian, humane and loving…..
Baby.
Stephen Stills: If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.
Michael Johnson: If you can’t be with the one that you love, why don’t you just wait for the one that you love.
She’ll love you too.”
That’s part of the real world, too, Mr. Simon.

I do not think you will find Hustler magazine in many public library! And MANY public libraries restrict internet access to pornographic sites.

This is not censorship as much as you have computers visible in libraries to children.

In my 25 years there was never any material removed but there were some books that had restricted access. Meaning they were not kept on the shelf and had to be asked for. That was simply to prevent unsupervised access by YOUNG children.

Public libraries, especially in non-city areas have different circumstances. Parents often dropped their children off while they went shopping. There is no guarantee the children will remain in the children’s section.

Academic libraries would have far different policies. None are going to have a children’s and young adults section, which in smaller libraries is usually not a separate room just an area.

She ASKED and the answer was NO. She did NOT advocate banning the books. Only doing her job as Mayor addressing citizens objections.

# Yes, she did ask the librarian if some books could be withdrawn because of being offensive; no, they couldn’t; yes, it was “rhetorical,, at least as was reported contemporaneously in 1996 (and thanks to Cecil Turner@ Just One Minute for this); yes, she did threaten to fire the librarian a month later; no, that wasn’t over the books thing but instead over administrative issues; no, the librarian wasn’t fired either; yes, the librarian was a big supporter of one of her political opponents; yes, the librarian was also a close friend of the chief of police mentioned above; no, this is not the first time in the history of civilization that someone has been threatened with being fired over a political dispute.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/separating-palin-fact-from-palin-fiction/2/

It was a group of citizens who brought to her the Mayor, a list of books they had objections to. Her DUTY as mayor was to bring that to the librarian’s attention.

She never demanded nor asked that they be censored and they were not. The Wasilla library never removed one book from their shelves. She was only doing her job.

It is NOT uncommon for a parent or a group to appear before a governing body with such a request. Any and all such objections or requests have to be turned over to the librarian. It in no way suggests or implies advocating censorship.

It happens all the time and I have yet to know any library removing any legitimately published book from their shelves. And yes there is a list of books that has been around for years of those which at one time or another were objected to. Catcher in the Rye is on there and so too are many others but the list is OLD.

At the library I served, which was in a very cosmopolitan, liberal suburban area, the strongest objections from parents came to the record HOWL.

We never banned it. Since it was a large majority of patrons who objected not just a few from any particular group, what we did was adopt a policy that limited access. Under 18, there was a parental permission slip that had to be signed.

Sure we knew half the teens would probably forge a parental signature but that was the parent’s “problem” not the library. The patrons accepted it as a reasonable alternative. Their only concern was their younger teens. And with the language in it, it may not have been appropriate for young or pre-teens.

My only point is: complaints or objections or even requests on public library material is common. Since public libraries are tax funded, the citizens objections are not just dismissed out of hand. The have a right to ask or make objections and the board –in the Wasilla case it would have been the municipal board, had a duty to bring it to the librarian.

I believe the Librarian has already stated that Mayor Palin made NO demand that any books be censored.

When I was just a wee one my mother used to read to me alot, mostly from those small cardboard covered “Golden Books”.

I only remember two of them as being favorites:

1) The Color Kittens
2) Little Black Sambo

Now my question is “what’s so wrong with LBS that gets everyone in such a state?”
My memory of the book is how a little black kid outsmarts a tiger that’s trying to eat him and winds up with a batch of tiger butter. I always thought of LBS as brave and sharp witted. Aren’t those good things anymore?

One day it leaks out that Palin will not be invited on the most popular woman’s interest show in America.

The the next they ratchet up the smears against her.

In there a chance that people, in their own minds, may put those together and conclude that somebody is not being fair to the governor?

1982 Wasilla High School Championship