WARREN COUNTY – Libraries give out information, so what’s the big deal about a library telling patrons where they can find book reviews?

It’s just a “source of knowledge.” So said Jason Sarnoski, a county commissioner who is liaison to the county’s library board.

Not everyone sees it so simply.

The Library Commission in this mostly rural county Thursday night voted 3-2 to post a “book review resource for patrons” in its four branches.

The library system will offer reviews by five sources, one of which generated much criticism and debate at the meeting.

That would be reviews done by BookLooks.org. Its stated mission:

“Find out what objectionable content may be in your child’s book before they do?”

BookLooks rates books according to a formula that takes into account such things as graphic language, violence and “controversial social commentary.”

Strip away the high-minded verbiage and this seems to be a resource that identifies books it considers too liberal or too supportive of gay rights.

BookLooks reviews are online and I found one related to Harvey Milk, a gay public official in San Francisco who became a martyr for the gay rights movement after he was assassinated in 1978.

The review of a book examining Milk’s life said the following:

“This book contains alternate sexualities; hate involving homophobia; controversial social commentary; and mild violence.”

Other reviews I’ve seen describe the book, “The Harvey Milk Story,”

much more favorably. Here is one from the Anti-Defamation League:

“The author (Kari Krakow) sensitively discusses how Milk kept his emerging gay identity a secret through young adulthood until he moved to San Francisco, where he ultimately became a politician and worked toward ‘laws to ensure the quality of life for all people.'”

.A number of speakers told the commission that including BookLooks reviews in this new resource would give publicity to an organization that has no literary credibility and that often takes book material out of context.

In short, critics said BookLooks reviews should not be included with those done by more professional reviewers.

One can not ignore politics.

Warren County is quite a Republican bastian, and generally speaking, the content of books children read is a big deal for some conservatives.

Those on the left see this as censorship and, more or less, believe that libraries, schools and government in general should not try to control what people read.

One of those opposing the move before the commission was Charles Boddy, the county’s Democratic chair.

Guy Citron, the 2023 Democratic Assembly candidate in LD-23, read a letter he sent to TapInto that was headlined – BookLooks is for Book Haters.”

In it, he said that “BookLooks is crowd sourced,” and that, “its reviews typically come from the most sensitive, skeptical, and easily offended people rather than professional reviewers.”

Responding to the public comments. Commissioner Elizabeth Thomas said she understood the “angst” of some.

But prior to voting “yes” on the resolution, Thomas said no one is forced to heed any of the book reviews, nor even read them.

Sarnoski previously had said the critics were, ironically, against the distribution of information.

Those explanations did not satisfy opponents, some of whom said they feared Thursday’s move was merely the first step to something more onerous.

That would be using the BookLooks reviews to label books and then remove them.

That’s conjecture to be sure, but the concern seems real.