News
Oregon Man Says Son Borrowed Mature Manga from Library (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
KPTV, the Fox television affiliate in Portland, Oregon, reported on Tuesday on a man who says his 12-year-old son was able to borrow mature manga titles from a Multnomah County Library, even though they were shelved in the adult section. Rozz Rezabek said he discovered the manga in his son's room, and he noted the books were listed on the covers as "Mature: Ages 18+." KPTV showed Yuji Shiozaki's Battle Club and Battle Vixens manga in its video report. A library spokeswoman told the station that it does not restrict access to the adult section and that it is up to the parents to monitor their children's reading. While patrons can file a statement of concern at the library, Rezabek said he may discuss the matter with an attorney.
A CBS affiliate in South Carolina reported last year on a parent who complained that her son found a volume of Yuu Watase's Absolute Boyfriend manga in a bookstore's children's section.
Source: MangaBlog
Update: The American Library Association's Library Bill of rights says that the group "opposes all attempts to restrict access to library services, materials, and facilities based on the age of library users." The Multnomah County Library's own mission and philosophy statement affirms this principle by stating that the library "will neither deny nor abridge a person's right to use a library because of his/her age, economic levels, beliefs, race, personal or physical characteristics." Thanks, Faceman.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history