Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Is it just me, or is it preposterous to allow people to view porn at a public library? I thought a library is suppose to be an institution of learning.

What a shame it is that we have to struggle like this to pass a simple policy to protect ourselves and our children.

No it's not just you. I agree with you. Although porn itself doesn't bother me, it bothers me for it to be in a public place. Almost everytime I go there I see someone looking at porn (just walking by trying to find a seat!). I know some students might be researching on porn, but YOU CAN TELL if they are learning, or... stuff. I like the library's staff and how they always take action with complaints, that's what they are there for.

All this fuss about people watching porn. Is that why most of the screens have tinted covers over them now?
I was wondering what that was about.

I was starting to get sick of people using social networking sites to slut themselves but at least they stopped shouting to each other across the rows about it.

Sheesh. Maybe it's just an outgrowth to the downloading fiasco that people were fussing about before this issue a couple years back. As a library uploader I have a different side of things to worry about. Do you have any idea how hard it was to go upside down and under the desk to find a USB port back with that old set up they had?

People also use libraries for inspiration to create things and to work in. Yes, the occasional toothless old man watching something and grunt/groaning is bothersome and women fussing about how hot some guy is on his page to each other are an annoyance but I wonder if the "porn problem" would go down if there was a temporary ban on accessing social networking sites at the library. I don't think people would like that though, but I wonder if it would effect a change. Might be interesting to test for a week. I'm not... suggesting that anyone do that though. Might be liable to start a disgruntled riot of some sort. I feel like people abuse these networking sites somewhat. Back when they didn't have those screens a significant proportion of the time when you passed by you'd see people going on them, and what? doing the same thing that they always do. No, I wasn't reading over their shoulder mind ya, but it's kinda obvious when people are going on about how great they think they are. Or gossiping, I mean, yeah sure, but can't you already do that on the phone or face to face anyway? Whatever happened to the days when people liked to make things on computers and read stuff about how to make stuff. Not as much going on as maybe there used to be. Maybe people'd look at porn less if they were given other hobbies? Community projects cost alot of money, but I think there could be more of them than there already are. Definitely. If you want people to misbehave less perhaps distracting them with other things to do would be a viable alternate strategy. The problem with library filters is that sometimes in places that have them when you want to do a report or some research about a very controversial topic you can't.

I have some examples and could further this argument, but yeah, it does make you wonder about those keyboards and try not to quease.

Nobody has a problem with people social networking in the library; it is the viewing of porn on public-funded library computers that disturbs us. It's plain and simple: for as long as taxpayers pay for these computers, filter them.

Those who want to view porn, do it in your own house, on your own computer, and on your own dime.