Public libraries are for the public

To those who wish to censor books at the library:

You have the right to raise your children however you choose, even if it's misguided. You can bring them up in the religion you choose, monitor their consumption of media, and even teach them to hate others. Hate, after all, is a learned emotion. 

However, you do not have the right to dictate what a public library may offer to other people's children. You do not have the right to decide what books may or may not be appropriate for them. You do not have the right to regulate their consumption of media, to determine if they worship a god, or to demand they hate others. 

Public libraries are for the public. If there is a book I find offensive, I simply don't check it out. I don't prevent others from making the choice. There's plenty that's offensive in the Bible (and yes, I've actually read it several times), but I don't feel the need to put it in the adults-only section to prevent others from reading the material I find offensive. Instead, I research, learn, and discuss it with others, ultimately deciding whether to keep or throw out what it says.  

My parents allowed me to read whatever I wanted whenever I wanted from whatever part of the library I wanted. I, even as a child, put down books that I wasn't ready for yet or that made me uncomfortable. If I read something I didn't understand, I would talk to my parents. Forty years later, I am an empathetic and compassionate adult who understands that not everyone in the United States thinks as I do, believes as I do, or reads as I do, and I'm OK with that. I can still allow others to live their lives with freedom. The First Amendment protects all of us.  

You see, books aren't just mirrors of our own beliefs, but windows into others'. It seems those who are so willing to censor books in a public library need to read some "window" books and examine why they feel the need to gatekeep free citizens and their choices. Raising your children in ignorance is your choice, but it isn't mine. 

BECCA PALMER

Sandpoint