As a librarian for 30+ years, it’s been a great point of pride to stand up for the rights of library users to access the information the seek. Agree or disagree I help them find sources… We’ve faced down the governor of our state (Janklow) when he wanted a book critical of him removed from our shelves, we’ve refused to allow LE to rummage through our patrons records. Etc.
All of this is by way of explaining how very disturbing this story out of (eta to clarify location) Kansas City, MO is.
Kansas City library officials defend employee arrested during public event.
Some quotes from the linked story:
The audience member, Jeremy Rothe-Kushel of Lawrence, was standing still and speaking into a microphone when a private guard and off-duty police officers removed him.
Steve Woolfolk, director of public programming for the library, protested the police action and tried to intervene before the entire group left the room and both men were arrested.
The library ordinarily does not have security or off-duty police at such events, but on occasion allows it if a speaker, such as an author on abortion issues, may be in danger.
In this case, the library agreed to have the Jewish Community Foundation bring security, in part out of sensitivity to the 2014 shootings that left three dead at Jewish sites in Overland Park.
But library officials said they had specified that no one was to be removed for asking uncomfortable questions and not without permission of library staff, unless there was an imminent threat.
Kemper, the library director, said the security guards and police officers violated that agreement, along with the library’s core reason for existence as a place to exchange ideas.
“We’re going to be living in a different kind of country” Kemper said, if people can be arrested for asking questions at a library. “If this kind of behavior is unacceptable to the police, then I guess we’re going to have to shut the library down.”
There is much at the link, go read!
ETA: and still more at these links (thanks Otteray Scribe):
Library Worker Heroically Defends Patron’s Free Speech...
