Area residents began receiving a text message last week encouraging support for the Daviess County Citizens for Decency and asking that people call Daviess County Public Library Director Erin Waller to “demand action” about “p*rnographic books available to children without informing parents.”
The text identifies the sender as Sarah, a mother with three children. It also includes a link to the DCC4D’s new website that directs respondents to a page asking they consider making a tax-deductible contribution “to help us continue our important work.”
Attempts to reach the text sender have been unsuccessful.
Jerry Chapman, chairman of the DCC4D, declined to comment when reached Monday.
Waller said the library has received a “few calls” from residents about the texts.
“My initial impression was it’s just another marketing tactic, because that’s a marketing tactic that people use,” Waller said.
Waller said she also views the text campaign as a fundraiser.
“The few that we’ve gotten have been people who have more of a confused kind of tone, like, ‘I don’t understand what this is, can you explain it to me?’ ” said Waller, who was most concerned for her staff when she saw the text. “I wasn’t in the building when it went out, so I was very concerned about my staff, because I knew if people started calling, they were the ones who would have to deal with that, and that’s difficult at times.”
Waller said the DDC4D are mischaracterizing where the books are placed within the library, and that the group continues to be unhappy with policy changes the library made in an attempt to resolve its concerns.
“From what I’ve seen, none of those items are in our children’s section,” said Waller, who feels the library has taken all measures to make sure parents/guardians understand the policies and restrictions. “You cannot be in the building without a guardian if you’re under 12 years old, you have to have a parent/guardian with you. And we sent out, notified, every parent and guardian of children that have library accounts, via mail, saying there may be material in the building that you personally find objectionable. So we recommend that you let us help you, and here are some sources you can go to to find out information about the material. To say we haven’t done this is untrue.
“Every minor’s account a parent or guardian has to sign off on that account. Every time they do they get that same information we mailed out, brochures that say not all information in this building may a adhere to your family’s values, so please do your due diligence. If you want to put more restrictions on your child to check things out, we have the restricted card.”
Daviess County Clerk Leslie McCarty was among those who received the text message. As a former library employee whose husband who works at DCPL, she said the text is “disheartening.”
“The (DCC4D) script is saying that people that work at the library are groomers, and I didn’t marry a pedophile,” she said. “It’s awful, and they’re taking it to another level. They’ve got several numbers they’re using to text. I tried calling and got a busy single.”
Cheryl Brown, spokesperson for the Coalition for an Inclusive Daviess County, said it’s part of a misinformation campaign by DCC4D.
“They’re still saying that the public library is making p*rnographic books available to children without informing parents,” she said. “We keep saying this: in the children’s section you have to be accompanied by an adult. The area that’s being challenged, it’s in the young adult section, not the children’s section. So it’s misleading.”
Brown said she’s concerned the DCC4D is being silently supported by some area political leaders, making them more aggressive in stating views.
“I believe the leadership of our community is enabling and emboldening them, because no ones has really been willing to tell them no,” Brown said. “For them, that just enables them to continue.”
Waller is concerned about the impact the issue is having on library employees, with the issue not always staying within the walls of the library.
“I’ve had staff that’s been approached in the public, outside the library building, and have basically been accosted about this issue — like at the grocery store, on their own time, and that’s not fair,” Waller said. “They’re living their lives.
“If somebody has a concern about something, they need to talk to me. Don’t call the library and the first person who picks up, get into a debate with them. We have high school students that work here who’ve never had a job before, and it’s unsettling for them. Treat people with dignity and understand it’s not right or fair to do that to someone, especially when they’re on their own time out in public.”
