Contacted your School Library yet?

[Former_Member]

I think we all need to notify the school libraries in our districts. I'm tired of looking like the crazy one when I call my Congressman....So I've sent letters to my school superintendent and to my local school board--

This is what I sent:
----------
I am writing to find out how the school board plans to deal with the CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Inprovement Act- 2008) with regards to the district's libraries given the ALA's recent call to action.

ALA Urges Congress To Correct Law That Inadvertently Targets Libraries, Publishers
January 09th, 2009 | Category: Other, School Libraries
CPSC ruling requires children’s books to be removed for safety testing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Library Association (ALA) released a letter to Congress yesterday, urging members to take action against a recent opinion ruling released from the General Counsel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that would require public, school, academic and museum libraries to either remove all their books or ban all children under 12 from visiting the facilities, beginning on February 10.

More text found here:
http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

[Former_Member]

Does this affect Church libraries?

[Former_Member]

Any library that allows children 12 and under access to their materials--

[Former_Member]

I emailed our elementary school's principle at the beginning of January. He had never heard of the CPSIA, but forwarded my message on to those in our district in a position to interpret its effects locally.

[LoblollyRidge]

i just got off the phone with our STATE school superindents office. they hadn't heard of it, and when i explained it,this is what i was told:

"it absolutely has nothing to do with us, and unless somebody from the publishing community tells me that we have to do something, we don't intent to do anything"

nothing like living in denial.

[Former_Member]

I thought the act only effects things being SOLD not things borrowed.

[LoblollyRidge]

as the ALA was told, borrowing is a form of selling....

[Former_Member]

This is SO rediculous... How did this act even pass?

This would have NEVER happened if they had passed Ron Paul supported "Read the Bills Act" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_the_Bills_Act

They probably just heard "Lead testing for children's items" and thought it sounded good WITHOUT reading the bill and realizing what it REALLY means!

[Former_Member]

*Ridiculous

[ManicMuffinTotes]

So as of Feb 10th it is ok for Schools and Public libraries to break the law but not micro-businesses.
Aren't these government institutions? Don't they have to play by the rules too?
Umm.. wow.

[Former_Member]

Hey, another Ron Paul fan!

Woot!

[Former_Member]

This is why we need to notify them...denial is one thing but ignorance is another...I'm anxious to hear what my district says.

[SkyviewClay]

I'm a teacher and went immediately to the librarian. She has received an email from one of her superiors (in some type of Librarians Assoc.) that states that they are to do nothing until further notice.

[meredithdillman]

I wish they'd bring back the read the bills act. Some of these things are 400 pages. They don't know what's in them.

[Former_Member]

Like Obama's stimulus plan... Folks are trying to hide ALL SORTS of things in there.

[Former_Member]

Well I AM a school librarian and I can tell you that I have heard nothing, and I mean nothing from the ALA. I sent this info on the other public libraries that I work and and I have heard nothing from my supervisors there.

I believe the ALA is working on it and most librarians are holding on to the belief that this will never hold water with the public. So now we wait.

[Former_Member]

I've been telling my mom about the CPSIA because it effects me but now I guess it effects her too (she's a church librarian)

[Former_Member]

I can't wait to see what happens Feb 10th!

[NotMyTreeStore]

I'm kind of glad that libraries are taking the "wait and see" approach. Besides the fact that I love the library, both our public libraries and the libraries at my kids' schools, it kind of gives me a sense of peace. Maybe they know something we don't. And it seems unlikely that the government is going to issue a specific mandate to shut down libraries, school or otherwise. That sounds like political suicide. What elected official is going to issue a mandate like *that*?

[RedBessBonney]

I wrote the school board in my city - even though my little one won't start k until the fall. I have not received a response. I also wrote the city librarian, and got a very nice response from her.

[Former_Member]

The ALA is pretty powerful, it fought the Patriot Act and won. I am actually watching this with a little bit of glee.

[Former_Member]

i am a school librarian... i know about CPSIA bc of etsy, but did not realize library books were part of the bill. in our district zero information has been distributed about it. i am going to check around and see if any of my superiors know anything.

[NotMyTreeStore]

>I am actually watching this with a little bit of glee.

Me, too. We can talk about small business and crafting and thrift stores until we're blue in the face, but when people's *books* are threatened, that's a whole new arena. People take notice. When the government starts infringing on people's rights to borrow materials from the library, that's a different fight completely. It calls into question personal freedom, art, public records, access to knowledge...way more than just one thing.

[Former_Member]

And books are bought with tax payers money and to not allow freedom of access as promised is a misappropriation of funds...all caused by government regulation. It will never fly. Not allowing children into a children's room because books might be bad for children? Please!

[Former_Member]

My co-worker just said, "we'll have to tell the younger students not to chew on the books." When I showed her this:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/30/lead.books/index.html

We have fifth graders here, so I would have to ban them from my library?