Disclosure of library choices sought
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is pushing a bill that would allow libraries to disclose to parents the titles that their children have borrowed from Bay State libraries.
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The measure, which has cleared early legislative hurdles, is driven by parental concerns that children could be reading and watching materials about sex or violence without their knowledge.
"I want to have parents involved in their child's reading and education," said the sponsor of the bill, Representative John F. Quinn, a Dartmouth Democrat.
The legislation would authorize librarians to grant parents' requests for a list of materials used by a child under age 18. But civil libertarians have decried the proposal, saying that it will infringe the rights of young readers and deter teenagers from researching controversial topics. Currently, state law prohibits disclosure of anyone's library records, regardless of age.
"It presumes very negative relationships with parents and it presumes that kids don't have a right to think for themselves," said Norma Shapiro, legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. "There's lots of information that kids need to have that their parents might not be terribly happy about."
Jennifer Perry, director of the Milford Town Library, said current young adult books deal with weighty topics, which sometimes upset parents. Perry cited one popular book among teenagers, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," which follows the tumultuous life of a troubled teen and includes homosexual references.
"The newer young adult books deal with real life issues," Perry said. "Most are novels, but they deal with difficult situations such as parental abuse or homosexuality. . . .Serious issues that parents may want to shield their children from." The bill was submitted last year, Quinn said, after he received a telephone call from an irate Dartmouth father. "The local librarian had called the house regarding overdue library books for their 8- or 9-year-old child," Quinn said. "When the father asked for the titles, the librarian said it was against the law to tell him the names of the books."
Book borrowers get a list of overdue material, but only the cardholder can have the information, under state law.
The bill comes in the wake of the passage of the federal Patriot Act, which along with other antiterrorist measures allows law enforcement easier access to personal information, including library records.
In June, the US Supreme Court upheld the Children's Internet Protection Act, mandating that filters be installed on all computers in libraries receiving federal aid.
Peggy Wiesenberg, a Jamaica Plain mother of three and member of the Citywide Parents Council, said that library books should not be subject to parental review.
"I'm happy that kids are reading, period," she said. "If it is in the public library system, it shouldn't be kept from kids. If they don't feel comfortable talking to their parents, let them read about it."
Sixteen-year-old Hannah Weinstein of Jamaica Plain said she usually tells her parents what she is reading, but thinks the bill goes too far.
"I think it is censorship in another form. People under the age of 18 are kept from so much, they should be able to read whatever they want to, especially since reading is looked upon as a good thing," said Weinstein, a junior at Boston Latin School.
Forty-eight states have confidentiality statutes that prohibit disclosure of library circulation records, according to the American Library Association.
Judith Krug, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom said library patrons should have confidentiality regardless of age.
"When it comes to really young children, they should not be in the library alone," Krug said. "They should be with a parent or guardian who knows what the child is taking out. As children get older, if parents want to know what they are taking out, why don't they ask their children?"
The opinions of Massachusetts librarians are mixed however, said Carolyn Noah, president-elect of the Massachusetts Library Association and an administrator at the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System.
"I believe that parents of young children absolutely need to know what their kids are borrowing," Noah said.
But older children, she said, "have private lives of their own and they sometimes need to make decisions on what they read that they may not necessarily want to share with their parents."
Brendan McCarthy can be reached at bmccarthy@globe.com
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
