Need for Christian Public Library...not gov run public library

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ChadS said:
As a librarian I agree! The library has a responsibility to provide and make freely available reading materials to all different communities, people, and interest groups. This will obviously include materials that you disagree with or find inappropriate for your child.

The good news is that as a parent you have the right to stop your child from reading the book or checking it out. I don’t think that right extends to preventing other people from checking it out or reading it, and that means discreetly hiding it or reshelving it elsewhere. If you find something objectionable for your child to read confront it head on and explain why you find it objectionable. Don’t send them scurrying down another aisle while you move something from the 611s to the 550s.

ChadS
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As a librarian, do you have any ideas as to why a reasonable suggestion like Inter-Library Loan (ILL) – which essentially solves the problem at hand – has gone over like a lead zeppelin? I think it’s very good news that Inter-Library Loan lets you check out whatever Catholic book you want – books by Scott Hahn, books by Karl Keating – from the public library. It’s not much effort, either – all you need to provide the library is the name of the book and who wrote it. You don’t even need to give the ISBN number, though it will help them find the book.
 
edwest2 said:
The “public information system” includes all media, including all movies and TV. Corruption is occurring at all levels and it is organized.

Providing Catholic Answers to all is what we should be doing here.

Ed
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Thankfully, Inter-Library Loan (ILL) lets quite literally any public library provide Catholic Answers to whoever wants it. 👍
 
EasterJoy said:
I totally understand your frustration that the public information system is being heavily influenced by the current movement to change public attitudes so that immorality is not only tolerated but positively celebrated.

It helps a great deal to read the writings of the early saints who lived during the first persecutions, for they were also surrounded by a society that celebrated and defended immorality. We are sometimes verbally abused for our faith and made out to be hateful people, but they suffered far greater abuse and even physical danger for holding the faith. These saints counsel us not only to hold on to the faith and resist being tainted by the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, but also to avoid the trap of enmity towards our enemies and those who oppose us both inside and outside the Church. We have to actually love our enemies, show them patience and kindness, and advocate as strongly to God for their reclamation as we do for our own.

The trap the Devil will* always* set for the faithful is the trap of the elder son in the story of the prodigal and the trap of the Pharisee, which is to look at those who have transgressed with contempt and to look at ourselves and our service to God in a favorable light by comparison, neglecting to lament our own condition as we ought to do.

As I like to say, there is always a ditch on both sides of the narrow way. We must not fixate so much on the ditch on one side that we neglect to see ourselves veering into the opposite ditch. That is why the narrow way is difficult to find: no one ever stayed on it by pulling the steering wheel as hard as possible in one direction.
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Are you saying that a Christian public library is the opposite ditch? Or are you saying I go to Church too much? I have gotten a lot of flack for being Christian…a lot of people seem to think my becoming Catholic is too much in one direction I guess. I offer this to you Lord, in Jesus name, amen.
 
gracepoole said:
That may be but I was pointing out a false dichotomy in someone else’s post, not yours, when I used the term “heathens.” It only makes sense in that context and it doesn’t make sense in any other.

Threads don’t really work that way on CAF. You start a thread and people take it in all sorts of directions. I’ve started many threads over the years and I don’t take all responses as responses to my original post. That’s saved me a whole lot of frustration.

Ultimately, whether you see value in children being exposed to controversial books or not, most public libraries aren’t going to remove materials because of parent complaints. The only way to “win” in the public library setting is to counter materials you find offensive by requesting that others be purchased and added to collections that speak to Catholic and/or Christian values. This is totally possible.

Or, as I noted earlier, go with your original idea and create a Christian library. The only point I noted about this is that it would be a mistake to suggest that those who permit their children to frequent public libraries are somehow making a less than moral choice in doing so.
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Actually yes threads do work that way, I have made the mistake of getting side tracked and politely asked to stay on topic or start your own thread.

Thank you for the advice on requesting Catholic collections, I appreciate more positive constructive approach than a negative one.

Regarding the moral choice…I would not be rude as you indicate but inform them of the moral concern and suggest a Christian alternative. You seem defensive by the way. You keep suggesting that something more bad is going to happen than I have indicated or have thought.
 
randomuser said:
As a librarian, do you have any ideas as to why a reasonable suggestion like Inter-Library Loan (ILL) – which essentially solves the problem at hand – has gone over like a lead zeppelin? I think it’s very good news that Inter-Library Loan lets you check out whatever Catholic book you want – books by Scott Hahn, books by Karl Keating – from the public library. It’s not much effort, either – all you need to provide the library is the name of the book and who wrote it. You don’t even need to give the ISBN number, though it will help them find the book.
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Hi randomuser,

I think sometimes libraries are poor promoters of all the services they offer. Many libraries belong to different consortiums which allow small libraries to pool their budgets and gain access to many, high quality databases and allows each other to access each others’ catalogs. This allows small libraries to have access to many things that they normally wouldn’t have the budget to acquire.

Of course ILL is one person borrowing materials from a non-affiliated library, but if people knew it was there beforehand and didn’t have to ask about something before finding out about it they might use it more. Using ILL you could get books from a library you normally wouldn’t have access to like a university or one across the state.

If more people knew about they could find tons of things their library would never have the budget or need to purchase.

A quick plug for librarians… we are here to help you find stuff. If you can’t find something, whether it be a book or something online, ask and we can certainly help you find whatever it is. With the speed that ILL requests get sent out you could have your materials in as little as 3 or 4 business days and in my experience not much longer than 7-10 days.

ChadS
 
If you find books in your collection that you find offensive don’t hide them. Librarians and the pages will find the books and reshelve them in the correct spot. If they are found in the wrong spot they may get pulled off the shelf and put on a cart where they will get scanned and thus get a credit for having circulated in house. It’s a form of accounting many libraries use to keep track of things that get used primarily in house, like magazines or books found laying around.

Library materials live and die by circulation statistics. If there are books in your library that you like take them out and use them. Bring them back and check others out. When it comes time to clear materials off the shelves that haven’t circulated in several years those will be the books pulled to make room for new materials that will hopefully go out.

If you know of books that you enjoy and promote a Catholic message why not make others at your parish aware of those books that way they will go out more. Librarians are trained to look at these types of statistics to see what is going out and will add more if certain materials are seeing heavy demand.

If you want to donate something to the library make sure you understand what their donation policy is. Sometimes books have to have received at least two positive reviews in industry magazines. If that isn’t possible find reviews from other sources you could show and print off descriptions from the publisher to help them evaluate that particular title.

If you make a book recommendation find out how the library handles it. In some places one request is enough to trigger an order, no questions asked. Other places they might have other processes. But if enough people ask for materials the library will say their is demand for this and order accordingly.

Use ILL to find those titles that only larger or academic libraries may have.

Make your library better by engaging with the collection and improving it, instead of hiding things you disapprove of. How would you feel if a fundamentalist who hates Catholicism took the books you wanted and hid them in another section?

ChadS
 
Flash forward a couple of years. Walk into a parish library started by those who were unhappy with public libraries exposing kids to sodomy. Now the kid walks up to you with a book they found in the kids section… "Daddy, what’s mein kampf?

Only those of us with a quick wit and young children know how to respond…

Son, it’s a German version of “mustache baby”. Now put that back…"
 
tifischer said:
Are you saying that a Christian public library is the opposite ditch? Or are you saying I go to Church too much? I have gotten a lot of flack for being Christian…a lot of people seem to think my becoming Catholic is too much in one direction I guess. I offer this to you Lord, in Jesus name, amen.
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No, I only replied to you because you started the thread and I wanted to say that in spite of my stance that we don’t live under a government that is going to favor one religious view over another, a situation that precludes libraries that are both public and Roman Catholic, I don’t disagree that our “pluralistic” society poses some real parenting challenges which understandably cause frustration. The only part aimed at you specifically was “I understand your frustration.”

To both you and the general audience of the thread, I’m pointing out that we are not the first Catholics to have lived through times like these. I am saying that we would be wise to look back in into the treasures our fathers and mothers in the faith left behind and reflect on the advice that is given by far holier and wiser persons that I am. Reflect on all of it, not just some of it. If these saints thought it worth their time to point out these pitfalls, then these pitfalls are well worth taking seriously.

Great saints in this situation always mention that those they advise must both flee the lures of the world, the flesh, and the devil AND beware the trap of falling into hatred of enemies and contempt towards other sinners.

If the great saints say we ought to all be concerned about both, then I say we ought to all be concerned about both.
 
tifischer said:
FYI, our public library has Gay and Lesbian children’s books…ie Families, Families, Families. We no longer go the library and I have asked the Church if they can expand the Church library and I have offered my assistance but no word back. This is very sad. Having studied Biochemistry (MS) and Genetics (BS) and reading the studies related to G&L, I am aware that G&L studies indicate 100% attribution to environment. I need prayers for guidance and hopefully someone who would like to help me (so that I may not have to go alone) to address this issue with the public library. We need a Christian public library (especially for the children).

Please pray that no children will be exposed to G&L and pray for chastity. Please bring the problem up to your parish and ask your Church about expanding a Christian Library, especially geared for children.

God bless!
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It is a public library, you know that right? Did you honestly expect taxpayer funded library to cater to a religion?
 
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