Responsibility in Liberal Land

When the Conservative Librarian was but a wee lass, she remembers getting her first library card. It was safely tucked inside her mother's wallet because it was an item of responsibility. It meant you could open up the doors of knowledge and borrow any book in the library for free. It meant you were responsible for the care and well being of any materials you had the privilege to borrow. It was the first card that meant something---for a five year old, right up there with a driver's license and credit card. it was an item of privilege and a sign of growing up.

Fast forward to the future. The CL is on the desk at her new library when a twelve year old girl walks up and says "Can I have my library card?"

The CL doesn't understand. Did the girl lose her card and wanted to check lost and found? Had she filled out a card application somewhere else in the library and was awaiting her card? The girl and the CL look at each other. Clearly something is missing here.

Then the CL's colleague directs her to a file box. It is filled with hundreds of children's library cards. She is told that the library keeps them here so the kids won't lose them. Well, if we have their cards up on the second floor and the check-out desk is on the first floor, how do the kids checkout books? Well, they don't. The cards are kept so the kids can use the computers. The Conservative Librarian is more horrified to learn that there is a similar box for adults on the first floor.

So we want to increase our circulation stats, but we hang on to the cards so no one can check out books. Gotcha.

The CL won't even go down the road of teachable moments, helping kids learn about responsibility and the dumbing down of a community. Clearly, it's more important to make sure the kids can play online video games after school. Isn't intellectual freedom a wonderful thing?