Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 20, 1993 TAG: 9312200081
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX LENGTH: Medium
Until last week, the library administration refused to change its policy that even small children's privacy would be violated if anyone knew what books they checked out.
By an 8-1 vote, the board approved a policy that will allow parents to get a list of the books currently on loan to their children. The new rule will take effect Jan. 1.
Some parents who complained about the old policy said they simply wanted to know if children had any overdue books. Others said the rule clashed with their authority to decide what sort of reading material is appropriate for their children.
Under the new policy on minors' checkout records, parents may sign a form giving them access to their child's record until the child turns 18. The policy requires children to also sign the form, but library officials said parents probably can learn the record without a child's signature.
"To me, the library board's intent was very clear, and that was to provide an option for access to the parents," said Edwin Clay, director of the library system.
Parents will be entitled to the names of books currently checked out but not to a complete list of all books the child has ever borrowed.
Library officials said they will work hard to catch children who try to evade the rules by using a different name to obtain a library card.
The library board has faced several controversies this year, including a lengthy debate over whether and how to distribute the Washington Blade, a newspaper for gays.
A group of parents and conservative Christians sought to get the free weekly removed from library shelves.
Earlier this year, after several tense public hearings, the library board voted to keep the Blade in the system's 22 branches. The board also agreed to keep the newspaper out of the reach of young children.
In September the Board of Supervisors threatened to abolish the library board if the paper wasn't removed, but the supervisors backed down two weeks later.
But the supervisors have asked the county attorney to study whether they can legally impose other restrictions on the Blade's distribution.
A leader in the effort to remove the Blade complained to the board last week about the number of books in the library system that are sympathetic to homosexuality.
Karen Jo Gounaud said she counted 98 book titles dealing with homosexuality in the card catalog. Of those, she said 92 were "sympathetic to the homosexual lifestyle."
She listed as examples titles such as "Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price," and "Children of Horizons: How Gay and Lesbian Teens Are Leading the Way Out of the Closet."
Gounaud described the library system's other six books on the topic as "objective." Among them she listed "Overcoming Homosexuality."
Gounaud asked the board to buy more books that say homosexual acts are illegal in Virginia and that being gay should be avoided.
"There is no fairness and there is no balance in the books that have been bought, especially in the last few years," Gounaud said.
Library officials disputed that, saying many points of view are represented in the library's collection.
"We base our selection on what is selling well, what is in the national eye and what is reviewed," in journals, magazines and newspapers, said Julie Pringle, head of the four-librarian team that chooses new books for the Fairfax system.
"If it looks like the collection is getting unbalanced, we do everything we can to correct that."
by CNB