Bare feet? In the Library?

There was an article in yesterday’s Columbus Dispatch, Story-time hero at Whetstone library retires after 3,000 readings. The long-time story-time librarian (and assistant manager) at the Whetstone branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Sam Pathy, is retiring today.

And you’ll never guess what was in the cover photo.

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Library Adventures — Part 3

When last I wrote about my library adventures (here is Part 1 and here is Part 2) regarding my local library, the one that I’d been using barefoot for nearly 20 years, I’d gotten to the point of being tossed three times because of their new shoe rule. I’d been denied in my official appeal to the library director and invoked my right to appeal to the full library Board of Trustees.

Here we will get to the thrilling conclusion and denouement of this story.

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Library Adventures — Part 2

Last time, in Part 1, I described some of the background of my first lawsuit against a library. Writing that was prompted by my being ejected from my local Pickerington library for being barefoot, after nearly 20 years of being a barefooted patron there.

After my ejection (according to the director because I or another barefooted person might have Athlete’s foot and because they had kids on their floor, he could not take that risk) I wrote a letter to every member of the Board of Trustees.

And then . . .

Nothing happened.

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Library Adventures — Part 1

Folks know I have had my issues (i.e., lawsuit) with libraries. I love books and libraries and it offends me horribly that they seem to find it “necessary” to keep out perfectly good and well-behaved patrons simply because the patrons aren’t dressed the way the library wants, and because the library buys into silly myths.

Fortunately, during all that time I had a refuge in my local, small-town library. They didn’t have the selection of the big-city libraries, but I still had access.

However, that all changed this past November.

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The Pleasure of Being Recognized

One of the downsides of going barefooted is the constant worry (even if we get used to it) of having some store employee seeing us barefoot and throwing a fit.

But there is also an upside.

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Library, Thy Name is Hypocrisy

I’ve written before about the Haverhill Library.

It seems they have this rule against bare feet . . .

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“Old Main” in Cincinnati

Regular readers know I have this thing about libraries. They tend to be the one governmental function that has taken it upon themselves to deny their taxpayers access for spurious reasons: visiting barefoot. Even worse, you’d think a place dedicated to providing access to learning would make an effort to learn something themselves, but instead, when challenged, they double down.

So, here’s a short look at one library’s change in accepting bare feet.

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Shod-Walking

I am one of the fortunate few who is able to go barefoot nearly 24/7. In the past year my shoe-wearing time is under 24 hours. Most of that really didn’t entail walking around (think weddings and funerals).

And that made me forget just how much shod-walking really is a burden.

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Hanlon’s Razor

Some of the reactions to my blog entry about Burien, WA banning bare feet were rather interesting. Some thought that the city council people were terrible authoritarians. Another thought that the town had gone full blown communist.

I’d like to introduce you to Hanlon’s Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

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Burien, WA Bans Bare Feet

Burien, WA is a suburb of Seattle. In August they passed an ordinance that essentially bans people from any conduct that is “dangerous, unsafe, illegal, or unreasonably disruptive” on all city property, both indoors and outdoors.

And they consider bare feet to be “unreasonably disruptive”.

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How Things Have Changed

First, a picture from 1970, via Flickr:

Outside Townsend Hall, 1970

And now, from yesterday:

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The Harris County Public Library

The Harris County Public Library (that’s Houston, TX, and surrounding communities) currently has a picture of a barefoot boy on their home page. Considering how libraries have such antipathy to bare feet, what’s going on?

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Was Whittier His Own “Barefoot Boy”?

In Colorful Characters: Hans Peter Bertelsen, I wrote about how Hans Peter Bertelsen was considered the inspiration for John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “The Barefoot Boy”. However, in a comment to that, it was suggested that Whittier himself was the barefoot boy.

What’s the real scoop?

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How Things Have Changed

Bare feet really did use to be acceptable. Here’s a repost of an entry I did on June 13, 2011. I was on the campus of The Ohio State University.

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Penny Arcadia — Part 3

Let me wrap up the story of Arcadia, CA’s 1965 attempt to ban bare feet in all civic buildings. It was a win . . .

. . . but not really.

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