Sometimes I'm Right

I'm signed up for a ListServ to bring me news from the intellectual freedom group in ALA. There's an actual name for it that escapes me at the moment. At any rate, every day I get news articles sent to my inbox of books that people want taken out of libraries or put in a different section, etc. Since we talk a lot about this in many of my classes, and since I'll be working as a librarian fairly soon, I think it's good to know what books cause people to get angry (almost all of them, depending on the people involved) and how to address that. But this particular challenge is kind of unique so I thought I'd post it. Many of the people who challenge books do so for a religious reason - their particular religious reason - and usually they're just sort of surprised at the placement of a certain book. But in my head I have a lot of trouble dividing the concerned people (who just want to be taken seriously and be listened to) and the people who, in my opinion, would have been far happier being alive during Hitler's book burning parties, or the Dark Ages, or some thing like that. I usually talk myself out of thinking that way. But this morning - I got THIS in my inbox.
Sometimes, I'm right.

Publication: APD - West Bend Daily News;
Date: May 2, 2009;
Section: Front Page;
Page: A1

Christian rights group joins library fray
Suit by Milwaukee chapter singles out ‘Baby BeBop’ for complaint
By DWAYNE BUTLER Daily News Staff

The Milwaukee branch of the Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) has filed a legal claim that says a book that is available in the West Bend Community Memorial Library is offensive.

Robert C. Braun of West Allis, Joseph Kogelmann of Milwaukee, Robert Brough of West Bend and the Rev. Cleveland Eden of Milwaukee, representing the Milwaukeebased group, filed the claim with the city of West Bend clerk's office.

Named in the claim are the city of West Bend, Mayor Kristine Deiss, the West Bend Library Board and Library Director Michael Tyree. The group is seeking $30,000 per plaintiff, Deiss’ resignation and a racist book be removed and publicly burned or destroyed as a deterrent to repeating the offensive conduct, the claim states.

Pursuant to section 893.80 of the Wisconsin state statutes, the claim says the Library is engaged in having books on display that the plaintiffs consider to be obscene or racial in content and promote violence. The plaintiffs question why a taxpayer funded library makes literature available that has damaged the plaintiffs, the claim states.

The book in question is “Baby Be-Bop,” by Francesca Lia Block, and should be removed from the Library, which is in the vicinity of a school, the claim states. It describes the book as being “explicitly vulgar, racial (sic) and anti-Christian.”

The plaintiffs, all of whom are elderly, say their mental and emotional well-being were damaged by the book at the Library, the claim states.

In the claim, they cite Wisconsin’s sexual morality law. Under the law, obscene material is a publication or recording that:
“The average person, applying community standards, would find appeals to the prurient interest if taken as a whole.”
“Under contemporary com- munity standards, describes or shows sexual conduct in a patently offensive way.”
“Lacks serious literary, artistic, political, educational or scientific value, if taken as a whole.”

The claim states that specific words used in the book are derogatory and slanderous to all males, and dangerously offensive and disrespectful to all people. The claim says the words can permeate violence, and puts one's life in possible jeopardy, adults and children alike.

The plaintiffs have also requested in the claim that West Bend City Attorney Mary Shanning could commission a grand jury to investigate whether the book should be declared obscene and inappropriate since it uses racial language that offends the plaintiffs' Christian beliefs.

The plaintiffs believe the book should be kept out of the Library and constitutes a hate crime, and they feel the book is inappropriate for the elderly and their minor grandchildren, and degrades the community, the claim states.

“We don't want it put in a section for adults,” said Braun, who is the president of the CCLU branch. “We're saying its inappropriate to have it in the library, and we want it out or destroyed.”

Assistant City Attorney/Director of Human Resources Warren Kraft said Friday the claim has been referred to Tyree and the Library Board for their review. Because the claim involves a financial request, Kraft said the city's insurance carrier has received a copy of the claim. He said the carrier will evaluate the claim and conduct an investigation into its circumstances and then make a recommendation to the city whether to allow or disallow all or part of the claim.