Woman outraged after daughters see porn at public library

A Seattle woman said families should not be exposed to pornography on public library computer screens, but library officials say it's freedom of speech.

Julie Howe said she took her daughters to the Lake City branch last month and found a man watching hard-core porn in full view of others at the library.

“You don’t expect your child to be exposed to that when you go to the public library,” said Howe.

She told a librarian, but the librarian would not tell the man to move to another computer where the contents of his screen couldn't so easily be seen.  And the man refused to move when Howe asked him.

“When I went to the car, my daughter burst into tears and told me what she had seen,” said Howe.

Howe was upset and filed a complaint, but library spokeswoman Andra Addison told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Chris Legeros they don't filter content on computers unless the computers are in a children's section.  Addison said the library doesn’t tell people what they can view and filters compromise freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment.


Howe said she understands that the library's not in the business of censoring information but thinks more can be done to keep people from inadvertently seeing potentially offensive online material.

“I do understand the slippery slope, and I actually agree in principal with their position, but it still isn’t OK with me,” said Howe.

                Howe hopes that computers can be moved so that adults and children aren't accidentally exposed to something they might not want to see.

“What I would like to see them do is take bigger steps against inadvertent viewing,” said Howe.

Addison said Seattle Public Libraries is working on resolving the problem but said those moves are difficult in smaller branches.