From KPTV:

A Portland man said Monday that his 12-year-old son brought home adult-themed Japanese books from a Multnomah County Library.

The Manga series of books are kept in the adult section of some Multnomah County libraries. The books include animated pictures of young women and girls in bondage, being raped and abused.

Rozz Rezabek found the books in his son's room. He said his son checked out the books without anyone questioning him.

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Why didn't he look at his son's selections when he brought them home?

My first snarky thought was, "Did the 12 year old drive himself to the library?"

I agree that the dad should have looked at the selections when his son brought them home.

But, I think the dad had a point about the library needing to enforce the adult section.

There are ratings on the books for a reason, just like movies and videos. Theatres aren't supposed to let underage kids into "R" rated movies, so the library shoudln't let kids into the adult section.

If they are going to have an adult section in the library, then there should be someone there to monitor it. During the summer, especially, there are kids' programs at libraries where the parents drop the child off for a couple of hours then come back and get them. Even if this child didn't bring the books home, he could obvisouly view them in the library setting.

I would be pretty upset as well. If cigarettes, alcohol, movies, video games and other "age limited" items require ID to purchase or rent, why don't adult materials from the library?

Interesting thought though - then the problem becomes who decides what the "ratings" are on books and what are the criteria?

Would you advocate all adult materials be "banned" from children? What about adult Christian fiction? At what age do you let minors into the adult section? What happens when an adult book is assigned by a school for summer reading? Do the students bring a note?

It really isn't the library's job to parent other people's children.

It wasn't just "an adult book" - it was pornographic material. If the movie would be rated X why would the book be readily available to children?

I think both the parent and the library are at fault for this. There should be either a computer program that flags materials of a "questionable" nature so that those who's ID's (library cards) are not elegible for that content they have to have an adult to get clearance for them. We must remember that some things that are "questionable" might not be. Just because something contains nudity or words that are more for adults doesn't mean the materials should be banned from use. Think of medical books, etc.

True Jase.

When I was a school librarian in a K-8 school I had parents complain that their second grader had access to materials they didn't think appropriate. Then I had other 2nd grade parents complain if there were any limitations.

I as a parent have always been more restrictive in some areas than others. For example: My boys weren't allowed to watch The Simpsons as young children. I didn't find the humor appropriate.

On the other hand, when my sons were in middle school they both read edgier books than some parents allowed. I remember one loving "Arizona Kid" in which the straight teen gets dating advice from his gay uncle. It's a great book about family, yet some would go balistic if their 12 year old read it.

I always took my nieces to the library with me. We made going to the library a family affair. That way I was guiding them in the children's section to subjects they were interested in, helping them make selections, etc. The adult ALWAYS has the veto power.
sheryl

That's what we always tell the kids when they come to our public library. Even to the number of books.

That man should freak out over real things! Banning anything from children of any age is insanity! Plus if this is so important to that moron why didn't he looked at what his kid picked out? Whatever is in that book will not mess with his child but the way he dealt with it will!