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Denver Reconsiders Fotonovela CollectionIn reaction to complaints from the anti-immigration group Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform (CAIR), the Denver Public Library is reviewing the content of its collection of fotonovelas—Spanish-language fiction serials that tell stories through photos, drawings, and text. Denver City Librarian Rick Ashton explained in a letter to trustees that the typical content is “similar to that of the Mexican soap operas,” but that some of them apparently depict nudity and violence.“It’s outrageous that we’ve got the library of all places, peddling porn,” Michael Corbin, host of the syndicated radio talk-show A Closer Look, told dozens of people who gathered August 8 outside DPL’s Central Library. About half came to protest—and the other half to defend—the library’s making available the popular graphic novel–style genre, according to the August 9 Rocky Mountain News. Corbin went on to call for Ashton’s resignation, characterizing the 15-year-old collection as demonstrating “an extreme lack of judgment and leadership on Mr. Ashton’s behalf.” His sentiments echoed a letter posted to the CAIR website that same day. Jo Haight-Sarling, director of access for DPL, told American Libraries that the library is reviewing the entire 6,500-item fotonovela collection “in order to be proactive,” since there is “only one bibliographic record per branch” for each facility’s holding of hundreds of titles. Explaining that DPL treated fotonovelas as “the epitome of ephemera” because of their flimsy format and $1.75 cost per issue, she added, “By the time a title’s been checked out 10 times, we have gotten our money’s worth.” Library officials anticipated the review would be completed by late August, she added. The fotonovela flap seems to have grown out of CAIR’s concern that DPL would attract undocumented Hispanic immigrants if it implemented a proposal to create language and learning centers with bilingual staff inside existing branches to expand Spanish-language collections and ESL and GED classes. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) characterized the plan as “ethnic separatism” in a June 21 letter to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. The mayor responded four days later to the 12 questions Tancredo had asked. Hickenlooper added: “As you know, libraries tend to be independent from direct government control so that the personal preferences, tastes, or political needs of politicians do not dictate the contents they contain.” Posted August 12, 2005. |
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