Letters to the Editor do not reflect the opinions of The Reporter, its publisher or its staff. You can submit your own Letter to the Editor by email to News@ReadTheReporter.com. Please include your phone number and city of residence. The Reporter will publish one letter per person per week.
Dear Editor:
A recent letter to the editor made claims about Hamilton East Public Library that are simply not true.
As a public library, our responsibility is to support our citizens’ freedom to read by providing a broad range of access to information and ideas. We believe that a public library, as a unit of government, should not decide for any of our more than 180,000 residents what they can or cannot read. Instead, we collect materials on a wide range of topics that are relevant to different readers at different times in their lives, and we make them available for anyone who wishes to read them.
We understand that the same book can be appropriate for some readers and inappropriate for others – which is why we leave that decision to readers and parents. The library does not stand between any family and your choice of reading materials because only you know what is best for you and your kids.
Hamilton East Public Library has always put the role of parents at the forefront of a child’s library experience. We believe strongly that parents should be deeply involved in their children’s reading. In fact, we require that any child in fifth grade or below be accompanied by a grown-up while in the library, and a Parent’s Guide is available on our website with information to make it as easy as possible for parents to guide their children as they make decisions about their family’s interaction with the library and our services.
Last year, over 90,000 cardholders checked out more than two million items from the library. Each of those cardholders has a right to use a public library collection that is built to serve everyone. No book in the public library is required to be checked out or read by anyone.
Hamilton East Public Library supports your freedom to read (or to not read) anything you want.
Edra Waterman
Library Director & CEO
Hamilton East Public Library
Ms. Waterman says that I made “claims about Hamilton East Public Library that are simply not true.” I cannot find a single claim I made that she takes issue with. I have not said that the library should decide what you can read. I have not asked that any book be made unavailable to anyone. Rather, I have asked that the library stop promoting inappropriate materials to children.
Specifically, here are the claims about HEPL in my letter:
1. Ms. Waterman and her staff shelved books that contain pornographic images and other inappropriate content in the section for 11 year old children.
2. One of these books encourages children to talk about sex with strangers online.
3. At first, the board resisted moving these books.
4. Ms. Waterman did finally move these particular books to the adult collection, but never held anyone accountable, and astonishingly claims to have moved the books for reasons unrelated to their inappropriate content.
5. Ms. Waterman has sought to distribute taxpayer-funded copies of other inappropriate books to kids as young as 11: one that promotes drug usage and sexualized cross-dressing and one that talks about pornography and other extremely mature sexual topics.
6. Another book she sought to distribute to kids as young as 11 uses the F-word 48 times.
I would add that when I asked Ms. Waterman whether she agrees with the HEPL lawyer that the book which encourages unsafe online behavior is “objectively harmful to children,” she flatly refused to answer my question.
See for yourself that she did not deny any of my claims. Don’t be misled. We don’t want to ban any books or tell you what you can read. We want the library to contain a wide and diverse collection. We aren’t asking to remove books from the library. We are asking that the library stop promoting inappropriate materials to children, both through their choice of shelving location and through their distribution of books to children in book clubs.
Chad – hey bro you mention several books that are problematic but name none of them by title or author. To paraphrase YOU – “I cannot find a single claim (or in your case, ‘book’) that you take issue with.”
So, uh, how can we trust your claims without examples? In my experience, some crazy people think that a book where a boy dresses as a mermaid is “sexual” when it is just about a kid dressing as a mermaid. Also, when you say “promote” or “encourage” what do you mean? Can you provide examples of this promotion? (Having a book on a shelf doesn’t count. That is just inventory, not promotion.)
Excited to see your response. I hope it is less insane than your self-promoted blog. I hope the book boogeymen don’t get our kids in the meantime.
Chad Carmichael you clearly have a definition of pornography that many do not. As someone who teaches ethics in a department at a university that promotes equity and inclusion I am appalled at your clear bias against people who identify as trans and are part of the lgbtq+ community. You make outlandish claims that fit your own phobias, purpose and definitions. What does “talking to strangers about sex online” actually mean? What exact words are saying this? Or are you over generalizing? I’m not asking what the lawyer said, what do the words actually say? And what is “sexualized cross dressing” besides another opinion of yours? Stop forcing your opinions on those who value open and accurate information and who aren’t afraid of their children learning that cross dressing isn’t about sex and questioning gender identity is not shameful. Naked bodies are natural, not pornographic and it’s okay to wonder about one’s sexuality without being ashamed. Just because it is threatening and pornographic to you does not mean it is to everyone.
When parents want to control access to what their children read then they should accompany them to the library and actively participate in their own child’s book selections.
Making books available and promoting are different things as I expect you know in your role as ethics instructor, and many of your statements are not objective as you also realize.
I don’t know Ms. Waterman but don’t blame her one bit for not wasting her time or taxpayer $ answering YOUR questions for your 5 minutes of fame. I sincerely hope my son’s tuition isn’t going toward the time you are putting into this battle in Fishers. It sure is using a lot of your time.
Five minutes of fame? More like five minutes of lame. Unfortunately after reading Chad’s hyperbole, it’s five minutes I will never get back.
So excited that Micah, Ray and Tiffanie are on the board
Chad, Thanks for informing everyone you have too much free time. – Nobody
Hey Folks,
You need to attend the library meetings if you want to speak up here! Were any of you at the library meeting where the activist teacher from FHS told parents to let their kids engage with porn? Or how about the meetings where the activists keep lying and saying that Chad is banning books! If you don’t like what Chad writes about, then grow a pair and engage him in civil discourse. You all are just chewing on sour grapes because you don’t like the fact that your activist views are being questioned by this community. Well, too bad. You all just keep lying and spewing misinformation. That’s all you are good for. Meanwhile, the good folks in this community are going to take care of business. And if you don’t like it, then leave. You all say how much you hate living here. You all promise you are going to move. But, you never do! If you hate this predominantly white community so much, then leave! And don’t let the door hit ya, where the Good Lord split ya!
This is a ridiculous argument which is dividing our community. No one is banning books. I’ll repeat that again….no one is banning books. The question is about where to shelve material which many parents may find objectionable or inappropriate for their children to read. The library needs to address the issues and concerns of ALL community members. There needs to be a common sense solution to this problem.
I have been in many libraries and HEPL is among the very best. The community should be proud of what the present board has created.
“Chad Carmichael you clearly have a definition of pornography that many do not. As someone who teaches ethics in a department at a university that promotes equity and inclusion I am appalled at your clear bias against people who identify as trans and are part of the lgbtq+ community.” –Mary Jensen, alleged ethics teacher
Ah, the always serviceable appeal to authority…I have friend who is a library director at a non-religious university, one who has a masters in library science and a psychologist friend none of whom agree with what has taken place as regards youth access to porn at the library. Nor would they agree with you.