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Should Libraries Loan "50 Shades of Grey?"

The Gilroy Library has ordered more copies to meet demand for the book and the waiting list for the entire Santa Clara County Library system is hundreds of patrons long.

Call it mommy porn, call it bad writing, call it whatever you want. E.L. James’s “50 Shades of Grey” trilogy is undeniably a mega-bestseller. More than 10 million copies of the books have been sold so far. But not everyone wants to pay for their literary titillation.  

The "New York Times" wrote May 23 that the popularity of “50 Shades of Grey” has forced libraries around the country to take a look at their rules on erotica, and some librarians have banned the trilogy.

If the Santa Clara County Library system has rules to keep erotica off the shelves, the 50 Shades franchise must not meet the definition. The system has 148 copies in circulation, and every one is checked out. The waiting list is 348 patrons long, according to Gilroy community librarian Lani Yoshimura.

The three copies are loaned out and five more have been ordered to meet demand. Looks like you'll have to jump in line for your risqué reading, that is, if you don't want to pay for it.

Have you read “50 Shades of Grey?” What do you think - worth the hype? Is it suitable material for the Gilroy Library's shelves?

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
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Laura Case May 24, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Ken Simmons, I don't know who made you privy to the information that you have, but you should haveRead More checked your sources. The information you have posted here is inaccurate and misleading. Yes, it is due to budgets cuts and recommendations of the country fiscal advisor that all Library Clerk II positions have been eliminated, but note that it is all. And there was never a decision to pack up the books and put them in storage. On the contrary, the collection will stay intact, and will be covered and protected the same way it is every summer to prevent sun and dust damage. No parents have come forward to volunteer to run the library. Not one! And the decisions that have been made by the district are exactly that, the District's - the unions are not the problem here. If you want to stir up drama, try sticking to the truth, and try using it to make a difference and set things right for our students!
Mary Ann KannelyPuente May 24, 2013 at 09:24 pm
The other issue is if the Library is run by volunteers then union jobs will be lost. In other wordsRead More if the work can be done for free why pay someone.
Mary Ann KannelyPuente May 24, 2013 at 09:22 pm
I information I read in the Gilroy Dispatch is that all the part time library clerks will be laidRead More off. So there will be no staff to run the library. Luigi probably has no storage for all those books so they will be left on the shelves. This recommendation was made by the County Fiscal Advisor, Nimrat Johal. She said this won't impact the students or the classroom. Really???!!!
R. Gabriner May 13, 2013 at 02:37 pm
Nice work Blanca. An excellent student in our program. Dr. Robert Gabriner, Director, EducationalRead More Leadership Doctoral Program San Francisco State University
Raymond Ruiz April 13, 2013 at 10:54 pm
It just don't matter how she dresses,whoo her parents are or aren't. Nobody and I mean Nobody hasRead More the right to rape or force a femsle to have sex with her,and then to make matters worse,they posted pictures of her on facebook ! Better we as a community should be asking,what would possess the young guys to do something like this ! That is why We have Our teenagers and kids passwords or no internet period ! As a parent my heart goes out to het and her parents !
Tamra~Kathleen April 13, 2013 at 05:51 pm
The offensive comment we're discussing shows a complete lack of respect for women that permeates ourRead More culture. That this person actually thought this poor young girl had culpability for her attack is a symptom of our societies disregard for women. I'm actually glad he made the comment so we can look at and discuss the problem.
Berto April 12, 2013 at 07:27 pm
From one of the interviews I watched online, it seems that many Saratoga High students knew whatRead More happened at the party and had seen the pictures. How is it that arrests did not follow the assault and the suicide for over 6 months? Could it be that the students who knew information about the felony chose to remain silent? I hope that is not the case; we will surely find out as the details of the case are revealed in the media over the next weeks and months. In the meantime lets make sure we are teaching our kids about the responsibility of living in community and caring about others. God forbid that any of the students have to live with the knowledge that they could have prevented the suicide, or with the knowledge that they helped cover up such a heinous crime.