Letter to Dr. Laura

["Mary J. Soucie" <mjsoucie@HTLS.LIB.IL.US>]

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Dear 'Netters,
Hello.  I have been listening to Dr. Laura, off
and on, for about three years.  I don't always
agree with her delivery but I do agree with many
of the principals that she stands for.  I was very

unhappy to hear about her recent tirade regarding
ALA and librarians.  I visisted her website and
was even further upset.  So I decided to do
something about it and wrote her the following
letter, which I faxed to her.  I doubt she will
read it but at least I've done something. I am
proud of my  chosen profssion and want to advocate

for us!  Delete now if you don't want to read the
letter.  (The only thing I deleted was the formal
business heading.)
===============================================================

Dear Dr. Laura,
Hello.  I have been a listener for about three
years now, when I can.  I used to listen to you on

the way to work and that is what I do now.  While
I don’t always agree with your delivery, I do
agree with the principals you stand for.

I think people should take responsibility for
their actions and parents should be more involved
with their children.  That is why I was
disappointed to hear your recent comments about
the American Library Association and libraries
regarding the Internet.
Librarians are not suggesting that children use
the Internet to view pornography.  I am not
denying that there is pornography available on the

World Wide Web, although it is not as easy to
access as most people believe.  However, what
librarians are suggesting is that parents take the

responsibility for what their children are viewing

on the Internet.  Many of the librarians that I
work with do bookmark and recommend sites for
their patrons to use.  Also most libraries, both
school and public, require patrons to sign an
“Internet Acceptable Use” Form and in the case of
children, this form must also be signed by the
parents.

We take our duties as Information Specialists very

seriously.  There are many problems with the
current filters that are available.  The number
one problem is that they are not a guarantee that
access to sites that contain offensive material
will be denied.  Also, legitimate sites may be
banned.  That is why we feel that the parents
should be accompanying their children to the
library.  A parent is the best judge of what is or

is not appropriate for his or her own child.

Thank you for taking the time to read this
letter.  The opinions expressed here are my own.
I do wish that you would speak with some of the
professionals who are dealing with this issue
before you continue to accuse us of something we
are not necessarily guilty of.

Cordially,

Mary J. Soucie

--
Mary J. Soucie
Youth Services Consultant
Heritage Trail Library System
815-729-3345 x110
mailto:mjsoucie@htls.lib.il.us


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