Library Wouldn't Help Police Identify Woman Pulled From River -- Legislation Needs Amending

NewsNet5 WEWS Cleveland, OH ^ | Feb. 4, 2007 | Unknown

[plan2succeed.org]

LANCASTER, Ohio — Police tried to identify a woman they pulled from an icy river by checking on her library card, but the library would not cooperate, citing a policy set by its board.

The woman, who was treated for unknown injuries, was carrying her library card on a key ring but had no other identification when a passer-by found her in the Hocking River on Thursday night, police said.

So a dispatcher, then an officer called the Fairfield County District Library and were told the library could not release the information without a court order. The woman later was identified as Sheila Springer, 51, by someone at the local hospital where she was taken.

The woman was later taken to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, where she would not allow information to be released on Friday. The hospital said Saturday they had no information on Springer. There was no telephone listing for her. Police did not know how she got in the river.

The library's board set the policy of withholding information about cardholders, library Director Marilyn Steiner said Saturday.

However, Steiner said that after being contacted about the police request, she told her staff they could release the information if they were sure the caller was a law enforcement officer and it was "a matter of life or death." Steiner said the library was prepared to release the woman's identity about 10 minutes after the first call by police, but was told it was no longer necessary.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I CLAIM EXCEPTION UNDER COPYRIGHT FAIR USE PROVISIONS.

[plan2succeed.org]

It's impossible for the parents, the way the ALA sets up the game. Look, which ALA article should the parent follow about the baby in Pampers rape book? It's like two ALA's in one!

"Push by Sapphire This book by sapphire is an excellent book for anyone not just teens. Although it does have some vulgar language the book has an overall great storyline and alot of different life lessons. The girl in the book is physically, emotionally, and mentally affected. She has been molested by both her mother and father, and is now bearing her fathers second child. She continues in school while her mother also physically abuses her because she is upset about her husband leaveing her bed to go sleep with thier daughter. The book is great!! crystal p." Good for children Push

"Sapphire. Push. 1996. Knopf, $20 (0-679-44626-5). Gr. 11 and up. Untrained, uneducated, and pregnant by her father, Claireece Precious Jones has nowhere to turn until Ms. Blue encourages her to read and write down everything in a journal. As her writing becomes more accessible, she gains confidence in herself. A graphic, poignant novel, best suited to mature readers." Bad for children Push

And the ALA is supposed to be an authority and gets to blame parents for not reading the books first?

[plan2succeed.org]

Here is actually text from "Push":

“..knowing a man can put his dick in you , gush white stuff in your booty you could get pregnant. I’m 12 now, I been knowing about that since I was 5 or 6.. always known about pussy and dick.”

“..felt her mother’s hand between her thighs.. felt her mother’s.. fingers.. knew by the smell in the room her mother’s hand was between her own legs.. hand inched up P’s thighs into the wet opening of her vagina.”

“..am choking between [mom’s] legs A HUH HUH. She is smelling big woman smell. She say suck it, lick me.. her hand like a mountain pushing my head down.”

“My clit swell up I think daddy. [he] sick me, disgust me, but still he sex me up ..nawshus.. stomach but hot tight in my twat.. want it back, the smell of the bedroom, the hurt.. pump my pussy in out in out in out awww I come. he bite me hard.. slam his hips into me HARD. I scream in pain he come.. slap my thighs.. Orgasm in me, his body shaking.. call me Fat Mama, Big Hole! You LOVE it! say you love it!.. wanna say I DON’T.. I’m a chile. But my pussy popping like grease in a frying pan. he slam in me again. His dick soft. he start sucking my tittie… wait for him to get off me.. stare at wall.. then my body take me over again, like shocks after earthquake, shiver me, I come again. My body not mine. I hate it coming.. go bafroom.. smear shit on my face. Feel good. Don’t know why but it do.

“..girl have her father’s dick in her mouth know things the other girls don’t know..”

Social worker comes to talk to her mother about the sexual abuse: “I wake up at night, morning he not wif me, I know he in there wif her. When did it first start? I don’ know.. am good mother.. [he] jus’ a high natured man.. She still little.. around 3 maybe. I give her bottle.. got milk in my bress but from [boyfriend] sucking. I give him tittie. [daughter] bottle.. bottle her, tittie him.. never get dried up ‘cause [he] always on me.. we in bed.. her on one side.. [him] on other side.. [he] got my tittie in his mouf.. natural.. I hot. he sucking my tittie.. he getting hard.. climb on me.. Then he reach over to [child]. Start wif his finger between her legs.. he say.. This is good for her.. git off me, take off her Pampers and try to stick his thing in.. trip me out.. it can almost go in.. freak baby.. I say stop.. I want him on me!.. Sex me up, not my chile.. cain’t blame all that shit happen to [her] on me… he her daddy, but he was my man!…. I hate Mama, she ain’ shit.”

[plan2succeed.org]

More "Push" quotes at PABBIS - Parents Aganist Bad Books In Schools.

[Burkean]

The gushing review you cited is user submitted. I certainly wouldn't make a decision on what my teen was going to read based on what some anonymous person posted on Amazon. The one that actually IS a product of ALA is the one that is far more cautious.

I would probably consider that book to be appropriate for very mature teenagers, and probably useful for one who was recovering from an abusive homelife. But that's just a preliminary decision based on those two blurbs, one of which could have been posted by the man who kidnapped the two boys in Missouri for all anybody can tell.

[plan2succeed.org]

"Push" is the book the ALA promotes as "an excellent book for anyone not just teens."

Now look me straight in the face and tell me if you do not see a problem here with the ALA recommending the book on one hand then blaming the parents on the other hand for letting their children read the book.

[plan2succeed.org]

"posted on Amazon"? It's on an ALA.org web link!!

[Burkean]

The site you linked to with the "it's a great book" review is an archival file of user submitted reviews. It's the same type thing Amazon does to push its book sales. Since they've transferred over to "Teen Read Week" the old site is not accepting reviews anymore.

[plan2succeed.org]

Interesting, but lame.

[muawiyah]

You didn't read my posts ~ what if she'd driven a whole carload of kids off the road into the crick, and the cops just can't see the vehicle. Without her name, and her incoherent, that 10 minutes could turn a horrible accident into a needless, meaningless tragedy.

Your name (which seems to be what the cops wanted) isn't private information anyway.

Apparantly the librarian who took the call has not bothered to inform herself on these matters.

[UpAllNight]

--It is clear that the librarian was insisting on having an actual confirmed police officer, rather than a prankster or a stalker.--

The article says she wanted a court order.

[UpAllNight]

--No. Other than blocking porn on library computers, I don't think that government has any place regulating which information can be released to whom.--

Why does the government have any business blocking porn on library computers?

[Burkean]

There is a big difference between content produced by an organization and content that comes from users. As I said, that positive review could be from anybody, because the point of the website is to encourage teenage readers to share comments about books. But since anybody can post there is no real way to determine who it comes from. It could in fact have been written by the author of the book trying go generate sales.

[saquin]

The ALA review for the book you're citing says it's for Grade 11 and up (that's 16 or 17 and older) and that it's "best suited to mature readers".

[saquin]

what if she'd driven a whole carload of kids off the road into the crick, and the cops just can't see the vehicle. Without her name, and her incoherent, that 10 minutes could turn a horrible accident into a needless, meaningless tragedy.

How does knowing within that 10 minutes that she's "Jane Smith" (and likes books about crockery recipes, perhaps) help in that hypothetical situation? "Oh, you say her name is Jane? That must mean she drove a carload of kids into the crick and we just can't see it!" .

[plan2succeed.org]

Ok, folks. Help me to understand this. I see a growing review of Push on and ALA site. You are saying it's from an Amazon site, and the ALA somehow archived it.

If that were true, why would the ALA archive things not from its own site, and why would it archive things contradictory to its own site.

And the real damning evidence is that the top of the page is the "Teen Hoopla" logo for tha ALA's old, controversial Teen Hoopla site. So even if the reviews started on Amazon, the ALA felt fit to include them in its own body of work.

Now I do not know this for fact, at least not until I get to depose Judith Krug and the others, but that's the what it appears to me.

Do you have any information otherwise? I really want to know because I do not want to use incorrect arguments to support my claims--things are bad enough that I don't need to. There's plenty more where that came from.

[plan2succeed.org]

Never heard of "stealth lawyers"? Even wonder why the ALA gets what it wants, when and where it wants? Do you think it's a fair fight when David goes up against Goliath? Well here's more, from a blog dated today (and it's really interesting that on the Office For Intellectual Freedom's own blog it appears no one is allowed to comment--free speech is not allowed on the blog of the self-arrogated censorship police):

Tuesday, February 06th, 2007
ALA offers May "Lawyers for Libraries" training institute in Philadelphia
Categories: Office for Intellectual Freedom, Special Events

The American Library Association (ALA) will present the Mid-Atlantic Regional "Lawyers for Libraries" Training Institute at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel on May 17, 2007. This will be the tenth in a series of regional institutes following two national institutes in 1997 and 1998.

The Lawyers for Libraries institute is primarily intended to equip attorneys with tools they need to effectively defend the First Amendment in libraries. Participants will be instructed by practicing attorneys specializing in First Amendment law and will be eligible for continuing legal education (CLE) credits for their participation.

Among the topics to be covered during the institute are:

* Privacy, law enforcement requests for records, and the USA PATRIOT Act
* Public forum analysis and libraries, including developing meeting room and display case policies
* Internet filtering and the ongoing repercussions of the Supreme Court’s CIPA decision
* How to respond to attempts to censor books and other library materials

In addition, a panel of librarians will discuss their real-world experiences with creating and enforcing library policies.

"Libraries today need committed, informed attorneys to provide clear guidance and expertise," said ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) Director Judith F. Krug. "The Lawyers for Libraries training institutes ensure that attendees know about the most up-to-date, accurate and relevant legislation and case law related to the First Amendment and libraries. The best part is that we’ve been able to create a network of attorneys who continue to work with OIF and share information with each other about censorship and privacy issues, policy development, and crisis management."

While "Lawyers for Libraries" is designed primarily for attorneys and library trustees, librarians are welcome to attend the training if accompanied by an attorney.

To register for the "Lawyers for Libraries" institute, contact Jonathan Kelley, (800) 545-2433 x4226, or e-mail jkelley@ala.org. Online registration and additional information are available at http://www.ala.org/lawyers. The cost to attend an institute is $395.00 for one and $745.00 for two.

[Burkean]

I am not saying it is from Amazon, I am saying it is like an Amazon review (which this website links to as well:
http://archive.ala.org/teenhoopla/reviews/reviewsites.html

For those that don't know, anybody can sign up for an identity on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. and can submit their reviews, musings, and other ramblings about whatever book they might choose. Others can and do read those reviews and use it (wisely or not) to decide whether to read the book.

It's one of the hottest things on the internet--user created content. Larger libraries are toying with having their patrons add reviews to titles in the online card catalog. It may seem simple but it's a pretty radical notion for some librarians.

The only reason this Teen Hoopla looks complicated is because the review you cite is from 2002 and ALA does not use that campaign to promote teen reading. When it was in use they accepted reviews from online users like Amazon and all the rest. You can see at the end of each review a screen name like book worm or crystal p. or whatever--much like the names people use on this board.

Further, you can follow this link for more insight:
http://archive.ala.org/teenhoopla/disclaimer.html

Which reads:
***
YALSA offers Teen Hoopla for use primarily by teens. The listed sites cover a variety of topics that may be of interest to people in the age range YALSA serves - between the ages of 12 and 18. YALSA recognizes that teens develop at different rates and in different ways (including, for example, physically, socially, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.) YALSA therefore encourages parents to be actively involved in helping determine the appropriateness of the Internet in general as well as any particular sites for their individual teen.

Recommendations are for the sites listed, not for sites linked to from the resources listed here.
***

As more and more users contribute content to the internet there is going to be a learning curve as readers try to figure out what is produced by the writers and editors of the people behind the site (which may be a university or a journal or newspaper or an organization) and what is produced by the public at large. It behooves the reader to learn how to discern the source, and it will continue to be the duty of the librarian to teach that.

[muawiyah]

Obviously you have no sense of urgency about you ~ people drown in under 10 minutes. In very cold water there's a good chance the children can survive longer in a sort of induced hibernation.

[Redcloak]

So go get a court order! You find out an hour later.

The officer's stun gun would be quicker.

[muawiyah]

I'd like to see more of that ~ officers using stunguns on librarians.