DID YOU SEE THE STORY coming out of downstate Alpena about their county library? It seems members of that conservative community have a problem with books they feel are inappropriate for young people being placed on shelves intended for use by anyone… regardless of age or maturity.
And they’re not just complaining at their morning coffee klatch. There’s a movement afoot to remove board members assigned to oversee library policy, as well as shut down the library altogether.
According to an article in Bridge Michigan, the Alpena County Board of Commissioners has begun the process of firing all members of its library board over their handling of books with sexual themes. It’s not clear how that process will work, or if it will succeed, but it’s bringing the issue into the area’s public consciousness and dialog.
At the same time, the library’s funding was on Tuesday’s ballot, with opposition advocating taxpayers to “Vote NO on Library Grooming,”
As it turns out, the millage to keep the library open was approved with about 60% voting in favor, so that might take some steam out of the effort to remove board members. We’ll see.
Local Implications
Though the issue was below the bridge, it made me wonder about our own Peter White Public Library and how that facility deals with book content and placement. Could we be faced with a similar situation, and if so, how would it be dealt with?
I met with library director Andrea Ingmire, and while she was sympathetic with library staff in Alpena, she indicated they follow a different protocol at the PWPL. Following their own policies, which can be found on their website, they use professional review journals to help evaluate books and their content. Books are then determined by staff to be appropriate for youth, teens, or adults, and placed in well-designated areas of the library.
However, sexually themed content, provided it isn’t legally obscene, is not excluded from the library’s shelves. And any book can be checked out by anyone, regardless of age.
There has only been one time in recent memory when the library’s offerings have been publicly questioned, and that was a little over a year ago. One person objected to Juno Dawson’s book, “This Book is Gay.” After administrative review and public comment, the board determined the book was not inappropriate and let it remain on the Peter White shelves.
Ingmire justifies such decisions. “Intellectual freedom is perhaps the most essential right we hold as Americans. Our library offers a diverse collection of resources, ensuring there is something for everyone. By offering a broad range of content, the library is not endorsing or implying that every item is suitable for every individual. We provide the materials, and it’s up to our patrons to choose what meets their information needs.”
What About the Kids?
For moms and dads concerned about what books their children might be tucking deep in their backpacks, the library offers a service which gives them the ability to monitor what their child checks out. It’s a safeguard that shows library personnel aren’t unaware of concerns parents might have regarding what their kids are being exposed to. To find out more, visit their website at pwpl.info.
It’s been almost 25 years since the community ponied up the money to expand the library into what it is today. And although books, in their traditional form, have been impacted by electronic media, the library continues to serve the area with an abundance of educational materials, as well as a wide variety of programs and presentations.
Plus, it’s a beautiful building, inside and out. It’s clearly a source of pride, comparable, I’d suggest, to the way we feel about Presque Isle. Tax dollars well spent.
Tips and the Minimum Wage
Three years ago, almost to the day, I first wrote about tipping and how it had been affected by the pandemic. We were a little more than a year out of those days when businesses where closed and service workers were idle. Tipping was still front and center in the effort to reward those workers for the financial hit they took while everyone enjoyed home cooking.
Now tipping is back in the news as Michigan moves towards a standard minimum wage for all workers, tipped or otherwise. The new laws mean the minimum wage for tipped workers will gradually increase over the next several years until it equals what everyone else gets… $15 an hour by 2028.
The state Supreme Court made the ruling regarding tipped workers and though it looks good on paper, particularly by those who think service workers and other rank and file employees are seriously underpaid, it has its detractors.
Tough on Business
“It will put us under,” one local restaurateur tells me. “Everyone is going to have to raise their prices which is going to make it very expensive to eat out… more than it already is.”
Which brings us back to tipping. If the wait staff is no longer working for 3 something an hour, should you still be expected to add that 15 to 20 to 25% gratuity? With higher prices on the menu, the traditional tip will increase accordingly. Rather than pricing ourselves out of the market, are we in for a tip formula correction? Will 5% become the standard? Or no tip at all?
Even today, before the minimum wage increase, tipping… when and how much, is a moving target. On one hand, we want to reward good service, but at the same time we’re wondering why we’re paying this employee’s wage when we thought that was up to the business owner. But then, when we leave it up to the business owner, the price of goods goes up. And if we only leave a pile of change on the table… we look cheap.
What can we do? I don’t know, but I think I just lost my appetite.