Is Watching Porn At The Library OK?
I spend a lot of time at libraries. I can find a quiet corner. Read a book. Plug in my laptop. Listen to music. All kinds of things. I even have library cards for three cities...shhh...don't tell anyone. I write most of my blog pieces at a library. I'm doing that now. It's a peaceful place.
When I saw someone watching watching a a video of a couple having sex, on a public computer,it led to a blog piece and a lot of questions. I needed more information before forming an opinion. Time to do some investigating reporting.
The first stop was the Skokie Public Library. Skokie is a northern suburb of Chicago and they have a great library. It's one of my favorites. I found a librarian, told her the story and asked about Skokie's policy. She told me they had a block on those kind of sites and if I saw someone who could get through the block, I should inform a staff member and they would handle the situation.
Next step was to see if I could find a ChicagoNow blogger who worked in a library. We have people who cover everything from Baseball to Cancer, so why not this. It took about five minutes to get a response.
"It depends on the library system whether it's against the rules or not. It's a huge debate still among librarians, going back and forth between freedom of information and making the library a safe place for everyone. The big no-nos, no matter what policies a library follows are no masturbating, no public nudity and no child pornography." ~~Holly
Final step...returning to the scene of the crime. This morning I went to the Northtown branch of the Chicago Public Library. I found a librarian and told her I saw a male watching a sex video on one of their public computers. I asked about their policy.
" We don't have blocks on any of the computers. They can watch whatever they want until someone tells us it's bothering them. Then we ask them to change the site they're watching."
I asked about children possibly seeing this.
" The children have their own section. Adults can't use their computers. We require someone to be 14 and over to use the adult computers."
There it is. In Chicago libraries, you can watch whatever you want as long as you aren't bothering anyone. That's ok with me. I'd rather they didn't watch this stuff at the library but I also don't want to take away anyone's rights. Just make sure your neighbors aren't offended and make sure children are not nearby.
So boys...and girls...go to it. Watch whatever you want, where ever you want. Just make sure you keep your pants on.