Boston situation -Reply

[jim hewitt]

Sheryl Dwinell writes (some deletion here)
>
>>I think parents would like to think
>> that librarians are at least partners in making the library a safe
>> environment for their children. 

i can agree here...to a point...physical safety and protection from those
who would do harm, yes...but...

where learning can occur, there is no safety...for new ideas, new
perspectives, and an increase in the knowledge base is an inherently
dangerous situation...for under such circumstances can the misconceptions,
prejudices, and ignorance of parents be overcome by their children...

and the question is, how can we foster both safety and danger?  how can we
promote an atmosphere that is both subversive to and conducive of the
status quo?

and until another solomon comes along to solve that problem, please leave
me on the side who prefers to foster intellectual danger in the form of
uncensored, unfiltered information where the teenager who needs information
on sex education doesn't have to subvert the library's system, or go
elsewhere, in order to obtain that information from a site that has a
non-discriminating (in the good sense) electronic nanny who filters out all
sites with the three letter word "sex"...

come to think of it, that child couldn't even learn the rudiments of latin
grammar in order to prepare for the priesthood under most of the net
nannies...for their is that awful numeral   "sex"  in between quinque and
septem...


Jim Hewitt				Phone: 218-299-4239
Head of Reference Services		Fax:   218-299-4653	
Ylvisaker Library			Email: hewitt at cord.edu
Concordia College
Moorhead, MN 56562

HELP!!!!!  I'm calling from the corners of WALK and DON'T WALK streets!