Article: "Seattle Libraries: No Sleeping or Eating Allowed, But Porn-Watching OK"

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Seattle Public Library has a long list of rules on things you can’t do in the library, to ensure the “comfort and safety” of staff and patrons. You can’t eat, sleep, look like you’re sleeping, be barefoot, be too stinky, talk too loudly, have a ringing cell phone, or make too much noise.
But you can watch graphic porn on a public computer, on a screen clearly visible to kids. Despite repeated complaints from female patrons about men watching porn in full view of their children, the library has held fast to its policy of unfettered online access for grown-ups.
The reason: It’s not in the business of censorship.

Read the Complete Article
See Also: Listen Online: Viewing Porn In Public Libraries Spurs Debate (via KUOW Radio)

The Seattle Public Library allows patrons to watch hard–core porn. That’s upsetting to some patrons. How do other library systems balance adult access to legal material with parental concerns and objections over the display of hard-core porn in a publicly–funded facility?

The segment runs 18:29.
Guests Are:

• Barbara Jones is the director of the American Library Association Office For Intellectual Freedom.
• Dean Marney is the director of the North Central Regional Library.

See Also: Despite Complaints, Seattle Public Libraries Say They Won’t Censor Porn (via KUOW Radio)
Text transcript of report.
You can listen to the report here (mp3).

Filed under: Libraries, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries