Sweet Justice for Exemplary Library Director

BCLS Library Director Gail Sweet
Photo Credit Nancy Rokos BCT

Library director Gail Sweet is retiring from the Burlington County Library System, Westampton, NJ, after twenty eight years.  Read about all the wonderful innovations she has to her credit:

• "Sweet Closes Book as Longtime Library Director," by Danielle Camilli, Burlington County Times, 24 August 2012.

Read what I have written about her:

• "Et tu, Mary Minow? Then Fall, Gail Sweet!," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 2 August 2010.
• "Nominate Gail Sweet for I Love My Librarian Award," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 6 September 2010.
• "Revolutionary Readings Review: Go See It," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 21 August 2010.

"Censorship" Registered Zero on the Richter Scale

Look again at the Burlington County Times story.  Anything missing?  Nowhere is it mentioned that she removed a book from the library system having a graphic, shown below, of two men having anal intercourse while two Boy Scouts look on inquisitively.  All those shouts of "censorship" from the self-arrogated free speech crowd, as is noted in my writings above, and nothing mentioned about the book's removal in that BCT story.  Nothing.  It registered a zero on the Richter scale.

Picture in book that school and public library removed.

Communities Support Library Directors Who Stand Against False "Censorship" Claims

Despite all the astroturfed noise about "censorship" and discrimination against "LGBT" interests, many and perhaps most library patrons thanked Gail Sweet for what she did.  They stood behind her and supported her.  Quietly.  Gail Sweet doesn't have a 64,000 member library association to call on to raise false issues to promote an agenda foreign to the community, so most people don't realize how much the community supported Gail Sweet and is happy the book was removed.

This is an example of how community members will support library directors who stand up to the false shouts of "censorship" used to attempt to force a community to do as the ALA wants:

• "Will Manley Outs Library Profession as the Only One in the World That Wants Children to Have Access to Pornography; Annoyed Librarian Says Some Librarians Sound Like Smut Peddlars," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 2 May 2011.

As you retire, hold your head up, Gail Sweet:

And if they shout 

Don't let it change a thing that you're doing 

Hold your head up.

(Hold Your Head Up - Argent - 1972)

Same Book Removed From Local Public School and ALA Freaks Out

In the school local to Gail Sweet's library, Rancocas Valley Regional High School, the same book was removed.  Yes, it was in a public school, anal sex for kids and all.  The book was removed.  Even more noise from the "censorship" crowd arose from that.  That noise included:

• The school's media specialist being given an award for "research[ing] the motivations behind the challenges of three books on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues and up[holding] the principles of intellectual freedom...": "School Media Specialist Passes Sexual Content Review to Students; Dee Venuto Says It Is Discrimination to Keep Children From Material Including Lengthy, Vivid Descriptions of a Ménage a Trois," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 18 August 2010.
• The American Library Association [ALA] using this single instance from this single school of this single book as the means to fake its annual Top 10 Challenged Book List, and I have made available a recording I made of the book's author essentially admitting as such in response to a question I asked: "Banned Books Week is Gay Promotion? Author Admits ALA Faked 2010 Top 10 Challenged Book List," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 26 September 2011.  That is right, the ALA used the book removed by Gail Sweet that was also removed in the local school as the excuse to fake its annual list, likely to use the homosexual activist community to amplify the ALA's own agenda, and it worked.  The top book that year was also related to homosexual activity, it was also faked, and after I exposed the fake, it no longer appears on the list despite being on for five years straight.  Currently the ALA is faking its latest list to ride The Hunger Games movie wave, but I digress.
• The school's "media specialist" went over the head of her own school's administration to report to the ALA something that has nothing to do with removing school books having pictures of children watching anal sex: "Venuto discovered the book challenge to be part of a well-organized strategy, part of TV personality Glen [sic] Beck's 9/12 Project, to discredit Kevin Jennings, GLSEN founder and director of the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools."  One of her supporters even called those who challenged the books part of a "terrorist group." 
• The school's "media specialist" joined the ALA's lecture circuit on "censorship."  Coincidentally or not, she said that my exposing ALA efforts to mislead communities was "changing the library profession":
  • "SafeLibraries Changing Library Profession According to Speaker at ALA 2010 Annual Conference; SafeLibraries Welcomes Media Requests for ALA Balance," by Dan Kleinman, SafeLibraries, 14 August 2010.

Conclusion:  Sweet Justice for Exemplary Library Director

So when one reads that BCT story about Gail Sweet's retirement, and sees it written so wonderfully, and sees it has absolutely nothing about the book removal, that is evidence that the book removal issue was really a big zero to the vast majority of the community.  Although the "free speech" crowd had screamed "censorship" and even faked their annual "banned" books list using the book, the local press could care less and Gail Sweet apparently did not mention it either.  As one person said, "The ... elites have convinced themselves that they are taking a stand against cultural tyranny.  ....  [T]he reality is that it is those who cry 'Censorship!' the loudest who are the ones trying to stifle speech and force their moral world-view on others."

I see that as Sweet justice for an exemplary library director.  I see that as an example for the many libraries directors out there afraid for their careers to appear to oppose the ALA.  There are a few other library directors willing to stand against the false ALA shouts of "censorship," like Dean Marney, Jo Ellen Ringer, and Mary Hastler.  Instead of living in the ALA's chains, library director's like them have the key, and now Gail Sweet joins them to set the example for how to break free:

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains

And we never even know we have the key.

(Already Gone - Eagles - 1974)

Does your community library director have the key?

Brava, Gail Sweet!  Enjoy your retirement!

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