In my humble opinion this is confidentiality run amuck. Confidentiality should not
trump illegality. That librarian was doing her civic duty.
Marsha ReddLibrarian, Kelloggsville High School Grand Rapids, MI
marsharedd@hotmail.comEducation is not a goal; it is a life-long process. Everyone
is a student. Everyone is a teacher.
----------------------------------------
> Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 15:13:35 -0700
> From: fourefs@SBCGLOBAL.NET
> Subject: [LM_NET] Librarian fired for reporting Child Porn viewer to police
> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>
> So, which side of the fence is ALA on?
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Employment records of fired librarian show she was solid employee Allie
>Martin - OneNewsNow - 4/7/2008 6:00:00 AM
>
>
> Christian attorney Mat Staver says the employment records of a librarian who
>was fired after reporting a patron who was viewing child porn to police show she
>had solid performance evaluations.
>
>
> In January, Judy Hill, the supervisor at the Lindsay Library in Tulare
>County, California, stated librarian Brenda Biesterfeld was performing
>satisfactorily. But last month, Biesterfeld was fired two days after police
>arrested Donny Chrisler at the library. Biesterfeld had reported Chrisler to
>police after she caught him, on two occasions, viewing child porn on library
>computers.
>
> Biesterfeld's supervisors claim her firing was related to her job performance.
>But Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, says employment evaluations -- given
>by Hill -- tell a different story.
>
> "The fact is when she gave the review, she said [Biesterfeld] was performing
>satisfactorily, [and] she said she had a training for [the librarian] that was
>going to be available in March," the attorney explains. "And then just a few days
>later, the situation with the child pornographer arose. When [Hill] found out it
>was Brenda who turned in this child pornographer, two days after that she
>terminated her."
>
> It is clear to Staver that Biesterfeld was fired because she turned in Chrisler
>for being involved in the illegal activity of viewing child porn. The attorney
>calls the actions of library officials in terminating his client "horrendous and
>inexcusable."
>
> "She should be immediately reinstated [and] compensated for the injustice done to
>her, and the library ought to adopt clear policies informing their staff of the
>duty to report child pornography to the police authorities," argues Staver.
>
> According to Staver, there is a chance the case could be settled through
>mediation. If that does not work, he says legal action is a strong possibility.
>
> Police found more images of child pornography on Chrisler's home computer. He is
>still being held on a $100,000 bond.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Liz Frame
> Librarian
> San Antonio Christian Elementary School
> fourefs@sbcglobal.net
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
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