Champions of the Right to Read @ the Duxbury Public Library

Citing patrons’ right to read, local libraries offer ‘Fifty’ trilogy. (Boston Globe, 6/3/2012)

Excerpt:  Unlike a smattering of libraries in other states, Massachusetts libraries seem to have no objection to stocking the much talked-about “Fifty Shades” trilogy, but enthusiasm for the novels among library staff is far from unanimous. 

At public libraries in communities south of Boston, some employees told the Globe they reviewed their purchase policies before buying the erotic trilogy’s first book, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” but decided to stock it. Others never hesitated. They buy what patrons want to read, provided it does not cross the line into pornography, they said. 

If a book becomes a sensation, some libraries feel all the more obligated to help patrons understand what’s going on in the world around them. 

“People are excited because it’s a phenomenon right now,” said Carol Jankowski, director of the Duxbury Free Library. She said the library pays attention to current issues and titles in order to fulfill the community’s appetite for popular culture and social trends.

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