A personal plea from a librarian in Warren, Michigan

[Lani Teshima-Miller]

I posted a URL to a Detroit newspaper a few weeks ago here on web4lib
regarding the Warren City Council decision to ban library access to "porn
on the Internet." The following is a personal plea from a friend of mine
in the Warren PL system, who today has informed me that the councilwoman
who wanted to ban the pornography now wants Internet access to libraries
cut altogether! Please provide whatever support you can, and please
distribute this widely. Thank you.

* Lani Teshima-Miller <teshima at Hawaii.edu>.....Student Services Officer *
* School of Library & Information Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa*
* The box said "Requires Windows 95 or Better", so I bought a Macintosh.*
* Visit our SLIS web site at http://www2.hawaii.edu/slis/               *

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Kate A. Pohjola" <pohjolak at lcm.macomb.lib.mi.us>

Okay, so most of you don't exactly live in Warren. Doesn't matter, I
say....this affects everyone, eventually. Please feel free to forward this
on to *anyone* I might have forgotten. 

Background:  A few weeks ago, the Warren City Council voted to "ban" 
pornography on the Internet in the library.  They ordered the Library
Commission to install a filter of sorts.  The Library Cooperative of
Macomb, which provides our all of our online and electronic services, has
refused to install the filters, on the grounds that as librarians, we do
not actively censor access to information. 

The latest:  Yesterday, Dick Palmer, president of the Library Commission,
ran into Gloria Sankuer at church (of course church, this *is* Warren!)
and told her about the Library Cooperative's decision. She has now "vowed"
to get the 'net shut off to the library. Thankfully, the coucil does not
meet this week (they meet bi-weekly, so the next meeting will be on June
24th), so we've got some time to deal with this. 

What you need to do:  write or call a council member (addresses and phone
numbers listed below) and express your concern.  This is an issue that
right now affects a few libraries here and there, but could quite possibly
affect everyone.  (yes, i'm on my soapbox...get over it!)  It's a matter
of sensibilty, intellectual freedom, and constitutional rights. 

It's easy...just call and tell them that you're against banning the
internet in the library.  Give some reasons why it should be there,
including the heart-rendering appeal about the less-fortunate being unable
to afford 'net access at home.  Thanks a million billion times! 

Here's the pertinent information:

		Warren City Council

All correspondence which must be presented to the entire council should be
addressed to the Council Secretary, 8300 Common Road, Warren, MI 48093

Charles T. Busse (Vice President)
32533 Sabrina Court
Warren, MI  48093
(810) 979-0282

Michael W. Chupa (Secretary)
3200 E. 12 Mile Road, Suite 103
Warren, MI  48092
(810) 751-0033

George L. Dimas
11166 Olive
Warren, MI  48093	
(810) 573-3811

James R. Fouts (President)
28107 St. Louise Drive
Warren, MI  48092
(810) 573-8058

Cecil D. St.Pierre, Jr.
32595 Sabrina Court
Warren, MI  48093
(810) 468-1800

Gloria J. Sankuer
8234 Stanley
Warren, MI  48093	
(810) 573-3866

Richard P. Sulaka (Assistant Secretary)
8521 Christine
Warren, MI  48093
(810) 751-1286

Michael J. Wiecek
32116 Vegas Drive
Warren, MI  48093
(810) 979-5714

Daneil E. Woodhouse
5727 Murthum
Warren, MI  48092
(810) 978-1002