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The current flap over Spanish-language dirty comic books on the shelves of the Denver Public Library raises a number of serious questions. One such publication is titled La Policiaca Novela. It features graphic illustrations of well-endowed, bare-breasted women repeatedly engaged in sexual intercourse or on the receiving end of severe beatings from men. Diane Lapierre, the library's director of strategic initiatives (more on what that title suggests later), prefers to call these comic books "illustrated novellas" and says they are very popular among Latino library users. She claims, "They are targeted at people who don't have strong reading skills and...

Sexually explicit Spanish-language comic books are being removed from Denver library shelves and sent to downtown headquarters for inspection, library officials said Thursday. The books, called fotonovelas, were flagged by talk-radio host Peter Boyles this week. The KHOW- AM Web site Thursday had the headline: "Shocking Content Found on Denver Public Library Shelves." Since the radio program, the library has received a steady stream of calls, said Diane Lapierre, director of strategic planning for the library. The books have been in the library system for at least 13 years, Lapierre said. Boyles' program marked the first time their content has...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 3, 2005 Contact: Rob Toonkel rtoonkel@usenglish.org (202) 833-0100 Spanish Set to Become Official Language of Seven Denver Public Library Branches In a sharp break from American tradition, the Denver Public Library is promoting a plan that would make seven of its branches “Spanish focused,” banishing English language books to the backroom. The “Languages and Learning” plan would dramatically increase Spanish language offerings and staff, designating some locations as Spanish dominant. The proposal is currently under review by the Library Commission and an advisory board. “Denver’s action is a dubious first in American history: a major U.S....

I can't really even summarize this one very well, it's so outrageous. Check the link for yet another example of the continuing downward slide occurring in Denver as our current administration attempts to placate the forces of multiculturalism and political correctness. Make sure to follow the external links regarding this topic on the KHOW website for the most complete information.

Clinton Library's universal appeal seen in its 365,000 visitors By DAVID HAMMER Associated Press Writer July 15, 2005, 7:07 PM EDT LITTLE ROCK -- The everyman appeal that Bill Clinton peddled in his political campaigns lives on at his presidential library. Among the more than 365,000 visitors who have passed through the library since November, no single demographic stands out. "I just think he is the only president I'll ever see who will really understand me as a person, and that's why I wanted to see more," said Ava Carter, 48, a black Democrat traveling with James D. Stearns, 55,...

Fifty-six year-old Thomas Haynes is in the Lubbock County Jail awaiting extradition back to Arkansas where he's wanted for failing to register as a sex-offender, but it was Lubbock Police who caught up with him at a public library this week and some bizarre circumstances led to his arrest. This time around it's allegedly an instance of what police call "improper photography"and a very observant public library worker. Haynes walked into the Groves Public Library on 19th and Chicago on June 2nd and brazenly used a digital camera to peer up a woman's skirt and snap a picture. Branch Manager...

The Council of the American Library Association (ALA) has passed a resolution that calls for the withdrawal from Iraq of all U.S. military forces and a return of full sovereignty to the people of Iraq. The resolution passed June 29 during the annual conference of ALA in Chicago. The resolution further urges the U.S. government to switch its budgetary priorities from the occupation of Iraq to the improved support of vital domestic programs and calls upon the government to provide material assistance through the United Nations for the reconstruction of Iraq, including its museums, libraries, schools, and other cultural institutions....

Most of the decisions are made quickly and don't attract much attention. Not like the pickle that faced Joe Stines. Stines, who directs Hillsborough County's public libraries, was watching the county commission last month when it decided that departments would abstain from recognizing gay pride. Where did that leave the libraries' displays of gay- themed and gay-authored books? After talking to an assistant county attorney, he dismantled the exhibits. His decision fanned a fire that librarians in this country generally keep on a slow but serious burn.

Paula's jonesing for Clinton library Paula Jones wants to go to a library - but she isn't looking for a book. The woman who claimed that former President Bill Clinton exposed himself to her thinks it's time she visited the $165 million study center dedicated to his administration. "My house is about 17 miles from it," says Jones, who lives just north of Little Rock, Ark. "I pass by [the Clinton Presidential Center] all the time. I kept saying, 'I ought to go in there.' My friends and I talked about putting on wigs - just in case they won't...

June 21, 2005 The Hon. John Hickenlooper Mayor of Denver 1347 Bannock Street, Suite 350 Denver, CO 80204-2718 Dear Mayor Hickenlooper: Several Denver residents who are affiliated with the Denver Public Library have come to me with concerns about changes underway in the Library. I hope their concerns are misplaced, and I hope you can show me they are misplaced. I will put these concerns in the form of several questions. Each question is based on information from employees and patrons of the library. Unfortunately, these Denver citizens choose to remain anonymous because they fear for their jobs. My questions...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Will Adams June 21, 2005 202.226.6997 Tancredo Asks Questions About Denver Library Policies Congressman Demands Answers from Hickenlooper About New Spanish Language Emphasis WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) asked questions about the Denver Public Library’s Spanish language policies in a letter sent to Mayor John Hickenlooper today. The letter asked a dozen questions ranging from the planning of a Spanish-language-only library to the alleged freeze of career advancement for librarians who do not speak Spanish. The questions are based on information from library employees and patrons. “Denver Public Library’s apparent shift towards a Spanish-language-only...

The U.S. House of Representatives dealt a blow to Big Brother last week. The House voted 238-187 to protect our library records and bookstore receipts from willy-nilly government perusal. The bipartisan vote sent a clear message to the U.S. Senate and to President Bush that the privacy rights of law-abiding American citizens must be respected even as the hard work of fighting and preventing terrorism continues. Congress and the president are preparing to extend the Patriot Act, an anti-terrorism law quickly approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The president has threatened to veto the measure if Congress makes changes....

TAMPA - Two Hillsborough County commissioners say public libraries are no place for Gay and Lesbian Pride Month exhibits. Commissioner Ronda Storms said she will schedule the issue for a board discussion where she intends to ask that such displays be banned. As the mother of a 6-year-old daughter, she said she does not want to be forced to explain homosexuality and transexuality if her child passes such a display and starts asking questions. "I do not want to have to explain to my daughter what it means to question one's sexuality," Storms said during a budget workshop Wednesday. Commission...

CHICAGO - Soon, patrons of the Naperville Public Library - at least those wanting to use the Internet - will need more than a library card. They'll give a fingerprint. It sounds like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel, but the new requirement is in many ways unsurprising. The library, like other Internet providers nationwide, has realized computer users aren't always who they say they are. And the technology it will use to check up on them is fairly simple - patrons will press a glass-topped scanner. In Naperville, the identity swapping consists largely of kids trying to...

LAST YEAR, Contra Costa County ignored the First Amendment to the Constitution and violated the free speech rights of a religious organization. The county, citing its policy of denying use of public spaces for religious purposes, banned the Faith Center Church Evangelistic Ministries from meeting at the Antioch Library. Fortunately, U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White ruled against the county. He correctly said that when the county makes a room available to the public in a library, it cannot enforce a policy that bans religious purposes. The county doesn't seem to understand free speech includes religious speech. David Green, executive...

A federal judge has ordered Contra Costa County to let religious groups use its public rooms for meetings in a case involving the Antioch Library.The county says use of its public spaces for religious purposes violates its policies and it will continue to fight a lawsuit demanding access.Last year it banned a religious group from the community meeting room at the Antioch Library and the group went to court to assert its free speech rights.U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White ruled this week that when the county makes available a room in a library, it cannot enforce a policy that...

Scholarly Publishers Protest Google's Online Library ProjectBy Michael Liedtke The Associated Press Published: May 23, 2005 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A group of academic publishers is challenging Google Inc.'s plan to scan millions of library books into its Internet search engine index, highlighting fears that the ambitious project will violate copyrights and stifle future sales. In letter scheduled to be delivered to Google Monday, the Association of American University Presses described the online search engine's library project as a troubling financial threat to its membership - 125 nonprofit publishers of academic journals and scholarly books. The plan "appears to involve...

Why do we need Mother's Day anyway? Just kidding! I'm staying away from controversial topics for a while. For starters, I don't have time to read all the responses. In my last column, I questioned the need for taxpayer-funded libraries, considering that books are readily available at low prices from private sources such as Amazon.com. You could say the column did not receive overwhelming approval. In fact, for the next 2½ weeks, my computer continually flashed at me: "You have mail!" It might as well have said: "Another angry librarian!" Many of the replies were long and detailed. I almost...

Ill. Library Getting Fingerprint Scanners May 21, 2005 NAPERVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- Library officials in this suburb west of Chicago have come up with a high-tech solution for keeping unauthorized visitors from using their computers: fingerprint scans. The scanners - to be installed on 130 library computers this summer - will verify the identity of computer users. Library officials said they wanted to tighten computer access because many people borrow library cards and pass codes from friends or family to log on. The technology also will help the library implement a new policy that allows parents to put filters on...

Librarians in the US have had to admit they are baffled by the case of the urine-stained library books.Hundreds of books at two libraries, just 13 miles apart in Cleveland, have had to be thrown out. Linda Yanko, manager of Geauga West Library, told the Plain Dealer: "I can't even believe we're discussing something like this. It's appalling and disgusting." She said librarians had been finding new cases or urine-related vandalism about once a month with the recent case coming just this week. The problems at Aurora Memorial Library began more than two years ago and damaged books have been...