I work at Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library, and we occasionally receive challenges to items in our collections (usually books) that some patrons consider offensive, unfair, or contrary to their particular religious or value system. Most of these challenges come verbally from irate patrons complaining to the circulation desk staff. The library provides a written form in which patrons may explain their objections to specific items and their reasons, but, not surprisingly, many people don't want to commit their attacks to writing. It's much easier to simply bellow at library staff and demand that the "undesirable" materials be removed "immediately." We insist that the form be completed before an independent committee will review any complaints. When patrons fill-out the form, they often cannot identify passages or page numbers upon which the offending words or ideas were presented. That, of course, if because many people who challenge books and wi...
Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library shares some of our staff's technological initiatives.