Speak Out: Should ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Be Offered At Libraries?

One Maryland library said the book was 'pornography.'

Looking to borrow a copy of the erotic thriller, Fifty Shades of Grey, the book at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List? Expect a long, long wait for the book at most Maryland area libraries. And expect a few libraries to ban the book, which recently sold its 10 millionth copy, entirely from their shelves. Harford County Public Libraries are declining to offer the book by author E.L. James, or the entire trilogy for that matter, reports ExploreHarford.com, with one librarian calling the book “pornography." "In the case of '50 Shades of Grey,' we read mainstream reviews that characterized the content as pornography," Jennifer Ralston, HCPL materials management administrator, wrote in an e-mail to Explore Harford Tuesday. "The …

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Arbutus Town Crier

7:58 am on Sunday, June 3, 2012

Freedom of the press, Freedom of speech, regulation. yes I agree with the stories content may be “pornography." but that is in the eye of the beholder , Set a section with ratings PG, R but don't infringe of the right of the people, let people decide by Freedom of choice. I may not like peoples views but I do respect our Freedom   more ›

In A Library Far, Far Away....

Star Wars at the Arbutus Branch Library.

The force was strong at Arbutus Branch Library on Saturday as young jedis of all ages participated in a Star Wars themed event filled with crafts and family fun.

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Brandie Jefferson

10:40 am on Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Talk about cool librarians!   more ›

Insurance Regulators Meeting With Consumers at Arbutus Library

Trained staff members available to answer insurance questions on March 7.

Have an insurance question? The Maryland Insurance Administration is coming to Arbutus Branch Library, 855 Sulphur Spring Road, on March 7 to answer your questions. Trained staff members will be available in person to answer consumer questions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The state regulatory agency offers a variety of consumer materials on all types of insurance products from annuities to title insurance and health, auto and homeowners insurance. 

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Arbutus Library Sidewalk Project on Hold

Quirk: "It's a matter of finding the money."

Searching for Black History at Arbutus Library

Scavenger Hunt through library is a path of discovery to learn about Black History Month.

Video du Jour: Fair of the Iron Horse

John Roth describes finding a memento from the 1927 railroad centennial event in Halethorpe.

Arbutus Branch Library has put online a collection of videos, Arbutus Stories, developed along with students in an intercultural video production class at UMBC. The project involves helping people shape their recollections into a written short story that is then audio-recorded and augmented with video, images and other artifacts. In this video, John Roth--who was recently inducted into the Maryland Senior Citizen Hall of Fame--describes finding a printed guide to the 1927 Fair of the Iron Horse celebrating the centennial of American railroading.

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Teens Shine at Arbutus Library

Open mic night gives kids in the area a chance to show off their skills.

The Arbutus Branch Library hosted its first Open Mic Night for teens aged 11-17 on Monday, Sept. 26.  “The Open Mic Nights have been successful at other branches like Catonsville,” said library staffer Rich Sigwald, who helped run the event.  The Arbutus library hosts a large population of teens each day, partly because of its proximity to the Arbutus middle school.  “We’d like for kids to see the library is more than a place to play on computers,” says Elizabeth Slack, another staffer who helped run the show last night. Organizers encouraged the teens in attendance to create their own rules for the event based on what was important to them, which included items like “no interrupting,” and “no booing.” The kids stuck to karaoke, but Slack …

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