Patrons Accuse Library Board Member of Censorship (Pornography removed from Illinois library)

Library Journal ^ | September 8, 2003 | Unknown

[Mini-14]

A board member of the Cook Memorial Public Library, Libertyville, IL, has come under fire from several patrons after he removed a free newspaper, which they called an act of censorship. Board member Jack L. Martin defended his actions, calling the Reader's Guide to Arts and Entertainment "pornographic" and claiming it had no place in the library. The suburban version of the alternative weekly Chicago Reader, the publication, which emphasizes information on local entertainment and dining, sported the headline "Dial M for Motherf---er." Both Martin and a patron removed between 20 and 30 copies of the paper.

Reader's Guide publisher Jane Levine told LJ that the story accompanying the headline "was about an arts group that started a call-in phone line where people could leave profanity-laced messages; they're going to create some kind of artwork from the results." The patrons also claim that Martin violated library policy of formally reviewing questionable material. "Regardless of how offensive the material is...he is not permitted to do this as a trustee," patron Mary Ann Phillips told the local press. Martin, however, said he was prompted to remove the publications after receiving two complaints from patrons, one of whom joined him in discarding the copies on display. The board was to discuss the issue at its September 16 meeting. One trustee said that the newspaper should not have been on display where children could read it; copies had been moved from the circulation desk to the adult fiction room.

[Theodore R.]

Libertyville, IL, now for a bit of trivia. Who was the famous political person from Libertyville?

[catonsville]

Our local library here in Maryland gets copies of "The City Paper", another raunchy, lefty, alternative Baltimore trash rag.

No big deal.

[Palladin]

Sheesh! This reminds me of when they hung the ceramic dildoes on a clothesline inside the children's entrance to the Boulder Public Library.

People have no common sense any more.

[PoisedWoman]

Adlai Stevenson.....at one time governor. He ran around with a hole in the sole of his shoe.

"We're madly
for Adlai
For preesident
So send him
Down to Washington"

Not.

(that was really Madly Adlai's campaign song.)

[Theodore R.]

Though Adlai Stevenson had the reputation as an "intellectual," some said that no one ever saw him read a book.

Ditto, Barry Goldwater allegedly was never seen reading a book in his political career.

[ThreePuttinDude]

Picking nits now....he was actually from Mettawa.
A small area just south of Libertyville......

Sorry, the only reason I know this is I went to Stevenson High...
But that was a long time ago...in another life...

[supercat]

Martin defended his actions, calling the Reader's Guide to Arts and Entertainment "pornographic" and claiming it had no place in the library.

This guy's definition of "pornography" would seem a lot different from most people I know...