Fremont County is large, diverse, and filled with opinions, or “talk in the 10.” “Talk in the 10” is an opportunity for you, our readers, to articulate and share your thoughts about what is happening in the community with the community. Letters may have been edited for clarity and length, but generally have been published exactly as received. The views expressed in the following are solely those of the author. Send your letters to our editors by emailing opinion@county10.com
Dear Library Board members,
I am writing after viewing the entire March 4 Board meeting, wherein discussion about children’s access to literature and other library resources was emphasized. I found it enlightening to see differences of opinion discussed in a respectful way. Also interesting was that certain Board members seemed disinterested in the majority or even the plurality of views Fremont County residents and library patrons may hold.
Firstly, Fremont County is not a monoculture, with a full quarter of its residents being Indigenous. American Indian Church, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Mormonism, Agnosticism, Atheism and other aspects of spirituality all coexist here. There is no single ethic or morality to represent everyone. I find it insulting to hear that Christian values are to decide everyone’s values. If decency is what’s intended, then the Board should be decent.
Secondly, the public library system is just that; public. Families who wish to protect their children from certain information are encouraged and honored in so doing. But, families who wish to expose their children to an array of information should also be honored in so doing. Each family is responsible for its own children, and to impose limitations on others’ children is not “public” by definition.
Thirdly, this writer fully supports reasonable protections to keep our youth from undue exposure to mature content, using computer search filters. However, when the Board suggests turning off access to all youth computers as a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, then the Board is overreaching. The alleged infraction is not empirically evident.
The county librarian clearly stated that internet access on youth computers has not yielded any “porn” sites. Still, the Library Board insists that the phantom concern needs to be addressed with draconian measures.
This letter is a way for one Lander resident (who has served as librarian on the Wind River Indian Reservation for 44 years) to voice her views on the foundational question of appropriate access to information in our youth and adult populations.
With a resounding “NO,” youth computers should not be turned off if the IT department cannot implement security measures within the Board’s timeframe. There has been no breach!
Children need to build their confidence as intelligent beings whose libraries assist in gaining knowledge. The Board must support that foundational concept.
Thank you,
Robin Levin, M. Ed.
Wyoming Teacher of the Year
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher/Fellow
Librarian, Fremont County School District #21