Library Complaint and Censorship Records (Orleans Snow Library)
| Submitted | March 12, 2013 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From:
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Massachusetts Public Records Law (M. G. L. Chapter 66, Section 10) for a copy of the following records:
Copies of written and electronic complaints and challenges for removal, reclassification, or other reconsideration of publications including books, magazines, movies, websites (e.g. filtered from library computers), or other media from January 1, 2010, to present, as well as records, petitions, and correspondence related to these challenges.
We seek such records as, for example, are classified by the Massachusetts’ Supervisor of Public Records Municipal Records Retention Manual under Section 17.004: Complaint and Censorship Records, though we do not limit our request to those so classified.
According to 950 CMR 32.06(5), every custodian of records is encouraged to waive fees where disclosure would benefit the public interest, as we believe these will. This request is part of a research project by the Center for Civic Media to better understand how and why library materials are challenged in the State of Massachusetts. We are committed to open access and plan to make our findings broadly available to the public. If fees cannot be waived please inform me in advance.
We ask that, if possible, you please respond via email with text documents or clear, high-quality scanned PDFs. If you cannot reply electronically, please mail us the best quality copies you reasonably can. Your efforts helps us ensure broad accessibility and equity.
The statute requires your response to this request within 10 business days. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in helping us better understand this important aspect of the work that you do. Please feel free to email me directly if you have any further questions.
Best,
- Chris Peterson
Research Assistant
Center for Civic Media
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 12, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 12, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 12, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: Tavi Prugno
*To Whom it may concern:*
Since January 18 of this year Snow Library in Orleans has been without a
library administrator. The former library director retired and no one will
be able to fill the vacant position until July 1, 2013. Since January
19thI have been trying to fulfill the duties of both library director
and
assistant library director; both are full time positions each at 40 hours
per week. Unfortunately, many e-mails and messages that should have been
temporarily forwarded to me were not so I have been unaware of some
requests sent to me or which have ended up in my SPAM folder. Also, due to
the volume of messages I get, I have inadvertently forgotten to respond to
some.
Many patrons make verbal requests for have the Library purchase certain
items, but there have been very few, even over the past fifteen years,
requests, especially electronically or in writing for Snow Library to
reclassify or remove items from its collection. There was only one
complaint in a file from 1998 that requested that Snow Library consider
moving a controversial book from the young adult to the adult area because
the patron felt the issue was inappropriate for the young adult audience.
Aside from this 1998 request for reclassification, I see nothing else in
the paper file documenting any request by a patron for reclassification or
removal of an item from the Library collection. Again, many times patrons
make verbal requests and, although we do have a complaint form for people
to complete, many don’t. We get many comments, again verbally, but also
electronically, asking the Library to buy more items in a certain area,
criticizing the lack of available parking spaces, and, most importantly,
complaining about the amount of noise in the Library. Fortunately, to my
knowledge, and according to the files available to me, no one has asked the
Library to remove or reclassify and item from January 1, 2012 to the
present. I hope I have responded to your query satisfactorily, but if you
have any further questions, or if I may be of any other use, please feel
free to contact me. I’m sorry if the tardiness of this response has
detrimentally effected your project
Sincerely yours,
Tavi Prugno, Acting Director
Snow Library, Orleans, MA
Files
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