Pax Bibliotheca

"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use"
--Soren Kierkegaard

If you're a regular visitor to the library, you've probably heard me say something like "Excuse me!  I'd like you to watch your language in the library!" or "LANGUAGE, PLEASE!" (which isn't grammatically correct, but certainly gets my point across).

I don't enjoy censoring people.  Throughout history, librarians have stood against censorship, and I believe very strongly that we should continue to do so.  Recently I noted in a grant application that "The Tumbler Ridge Public Library's mission is to improve and promote literacy, intellectual freedom, and free access to information for all residents of and visitors to Tumbler Ridge."

So why do I ask people to watch their language in the library?

I do it for three reasons.

First, I still believe in the concept of "serving the greater good," in spite of the abuses perpetrated under that banner in recent years.  I believe the library should be a place where parents can bring their children without worrying about what they'll see or hear during their visit.  A library should be a place to find good books to read, not a place to hear people complaining about "f***ing this" and "f***ing that".

Second, I don't believe it's necessary to use offensive language in the library unless a heavy book falls on your toes.

Third, I ask people to watch their language in the library as a matter of courtesy.  The vast majority of people don't swear (at least not to excess) around their parents, teachers, or religious leaders.  I'm just asking you to extend the same courtesy to library staff members and patrons.

English is an incredibly fluid and versatile language.  There are plenty of intriguing and descriptive words out there, and it astounds me that people choose to limit themselves to such a small, offensive, subset of them.

Keep it clean in the library folks.

Thank you.