Massachusetts News 

August 2--The Minuteman Library Network has quietly added sexual abstinence links to its homepage after receiving a flurry of criticism from concerned citizens regarding the pedophilia websites linked to it. 

When reporters at this publication discovered in April that the Minuteman Library Network (whose main purpose is to provide a database of books that are available through their member libraries in Metrowest Boston) also included links to websites like "The Coalition for Positive Sexuality" and "AllAboutSex," they tried to contact representatives from the Network and local librarians. 

They tried to find out why sites which were obviously being created by pedophiles, and which encouraged children to become sexually active at a young age and to hide it from their parents, were recommended by the libraries' website. Why weren't there any sites which presented a different viewpoint? At that time, the responses from librarians and other officials ranged from disbelief to defensiveness, but no action was taken. 

The head of the Newton public libraries, Cathy Glick, actively defended the content on the site. "Our philosophy," she told Massachusetts News, "is to include a wide cross section of materials. This site addresses issues related to sexuality." 

But no such diversity existed at the time. All of the links encouraged sexual experimentation for young children and adolescents, and sometimes with adults. When asked whether she would consider linking some sites that advocate abstinence, Susan Saul, who is in charge of the site, replied, "We recognize that teenagers won't look at sermonizing sites." 

Site is Changed  

But apparently everything changed within the last several weeks. The Minuteman Network, aware of this wave of criticism, has quietly added one site which gives  "Hints to young people on saying No for now to sex" and another called "Notmenotnow," which tells teens that abstinence makes sense for their future. 

The change became apparent last month only after the daily newspaper in Dedham, The Daily Transcript, had a feature story on its front page which stated that the trustees of its library "are currently mulling the adoption or rejection of the Minuteman Library Network's Internet collection policy." 

In the story, the paper quoted Dedham librarian, Morris Rabinowitz, as saying that the library site had pro-abstinence links as well. The paper said: 
"He also said the Minuteman Library Network site includes a diversity of viewpoints on teen sex, including a pro-abstinence link." 

This was the first public notice that the libraries had changed their site. 

False Info from Dedham Librarians 

The Dedham librarians distorted the issue in their statement to The Daily Transcript. 

Even though this matter has nothing to do with the right of Free Speech, because it concerns what is recommended to children by the library, the paper reported these comments. 

"Librarians from the national to the local level dismiss the charges and defend the constitutionality of free access to information. 

"Dedham Library assistant director Maureen Horn said the American Library Association has come under increased pressure to suppress Internet information after the bombings and shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. But Horn defended as constitutional people's rights to information in public libraries. 'We have to protect the people's right to full access to the Internet,' said Horn." 

The paper reported this comment about Rabinowitz' reaction. 

"He said no single set of values determines the materials in a public library. 

" 'Mein Kampf recommends killing every Jew in the world. But I still keep it here, because I think it's an important book to have.'" 

These comments are irrelevant because what is recommended to teenagers has nothing to do with free speech of anyone-including children. They will still have access to any site (if the individual library allows that). This would merely stop the placement of those sites on a list of recommended sites. 

Will the Site Be Changed 

Apparently, complaints have started coming in to the libraries despite the addition of abstinence links. Representatives from Minuteman have instructed local librarians to give complaining patrons a form to fill out and send to the Minuteman headquarters. 

Officials in some of the towns whose libraries use the network are concerned with the site's links as well.  Dedham Library's Board of Trustees will be reconsidering its use of the Network during its August meeting.  The Board's chairman Joseph D'Amico had not yet looked at the websites in question. When The Massachusetts News reached him at his home he said he was "glad it was brought to my attention." 

Among those who pleaded ignorance when initially informed about the site was Susan Saul, Head of User Services at Minuteman. 

"I can't say that we look at every site." She also explained: "We don't have any control over what changes on the sites over time." When asked whether they occasionally check on a particular site, she acknowledged, "We just check to see if sites are still there Ð we don't dig beyond the first page of a site." 

Other librarians like Janice Bures, the director of the Wellesley Free Library seemed completely surprised that anyone might object to the site's content. "We haven't received any comments or complaints," she said. But she admitted that she had not studied it closely. 
 

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