THE WOOD DALE PUBLIC LIBRARY EXPERIENCE

THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED ON 12-18-2000. (It has been BEEFED UP!)

To Whom It May Concern:

Consider this an informational report regarding the conduct of certain personnel at the Wood Dale Public Library and circumstances surrounding it.

I was using the Internet computers at the Wood Dale Public Library since about the third week in July in a random fashion. I used same computers a few times for several hours, numerous times for periods of a couple of hours, to as little as five minutes. Most of my use was concentrated in the last two weeks I used the facilities. Prior visits were usually only once or twice a week.

Procedures for using the Internet at this library, in my experience, was to let the librarian on duty sign me in on a usually white or gold sign in sheet. The policy was one that allowed you to use the Internet computer for an hour and then if no one else needed to use same one could continue to use it indefinitely. There were no restrictions on outside library district users as compared to library district users.

On occasion, I noted that the librarian would ask me what I was using the computer for and I would indicate e-mail purposes. In late July and early August it was stipulated on occasion that if I wanted to use the Internet computer for other purposes like research I would have to take their Internet course and get an Internet users card. They would only require me to produce a driver's license or a state identification so to use the Internet computers for E-mail. There was no stipulation as to how long one might use the Internet for E-mail purposes other than the one-hour limit if another patron was waiting.

Frequently during my use of the computers, librarians would stand behind me looking at what I was doing. I believe that that was an invasion of privacy, as they would stand there as long as a minute or two making as if they were putting away videocassettes or the like. I was frequently asked specifically what I was doing or asked if I was using the computer for E-mail.

About one week prior to my last conversation with Mr. Parks, the head librarian or director, I was using the computer and he stopped by my work station and talked to me about the use of the computers. He said that he noted me using the computer long periods of time. I replied that there was nothing wrong with that in that the rule makes no stipulation of it. He said that their local patrons often come in, find the computers in use, and walk out without inquiring when they would be free. According to Mr. Parks, a complaint would usually come back to him from other sources that the computers are ALWAYS in use and that they cannot use them.

I reminded Mr. Parks that all these local patrons have to do is ask the librarian what the status is on the computer use. He said that the constituency does not feel comfortable doing so and prefer to avoid confrontation.

Mr. Parks said that when a patron comes in and I am on the computer I would have to surrender the computer after my maximum time limit has expired. I replied that that policy was what I understood from the beginning and that policy is standard for most libraries.

Mr. Parks suggested that some people just want to use the computer for a short time and cannot get on. I then informed him of what the Wheaton Public Library and the Chicago Public Library has done to abate the problem. That was to have a separate computer for E-mail use only and use it on a walk up basis limited to fifteen minute's use per day.

Mr. Parks seemed concerned that I was taking so long on my E-mail business almost inferring or implying that I was using the Internet for research or even illicit use rather than E-mail. I informed him that I was using the Internet for E-mail related use. I related that I had an emergency circumstance with one of my E-mail carriers in that I had exceeded the maximum storage space. I indicated that it had exceeded to one hundred and six percent and that I was deleting or downloading files to a floppy and uploading same to alternative Internet hard drives per se or web site hard drives. I related that I had been in the library more times the present week,(August 7 through 12,2000), than before due to that emergency. I stated that the emergency accrued because prior in the last month I was not able to regularly access the Internet to retrieve and manage my E-mail.

He stated to me in effect that I have been impeding his local patrons from using the Internet. I replied that first of all the majority of times when I came in to use the Internet here both computers were empty. I further made note that the majority of the time the other computer was unused while I was using the other computer. (There were only two computers for Internet use at Wood Dale this last summer).

Mr. Parks more or less blew that off and then reasserted his position about requiring me to surrender my use if a patron came in to use ¡°my¡± computer while the other computer was in use. I said I have no problem with that procedure. At this point, it seemed Mr. Parks wanted to instigate an issue and a problem where there was no issue or problem. It seemed that he wanted to incite me to argumentation.

He further said that if I wanted to use the computer for long periods of time that I would have to take their two hour Internet course. I responded that I had been using the Internet for over a year now and that I was familiar with its use and procedures. He then stated that he was not concerned with my knowing how to use the Internet but rather that I become familiar with THEIR procedures of using the Internet locally. I said fine. I have no problem with taking his Internet course. I asked when the course was offered. He said the class is on Thursdays from 7 to 9 P.M.. I understood him to say that the class is also offered on Saturdays also but that is only during the school year not during the summer.

I responded and stated that Thursdays were out due to the fact that I had other appointments on Thursday evenings. I further stated that perhaps in September I could take the course on Saturday if I was still in the area. He seemed to be happy with that offer. I reaffirmed that I had no problem with taking the Internet course.

He again reasserted that I have to surrender the computer when a patron needs to use it after my maximum time. I said again that that was always understood.

I noted, "coincidentally", that night, immediately after the talk with Mr. Parks, that I was experiencing extreme interference uploading my e-mail to my Internet hard drive. It took over an hour to upload seven files that normally take just approximately two minutes. Specifically what was happening was that I would select my files to upload and then execute upload and then I would wait for the files to upload. The strange thing was that the picture would change on the screen and a message would display saying that the operation could not be executed and that it was canceled. The upload file was subordinated to the message but still seemed to function and complete but in a much-delayed fashion.

When I would go to the Internet hard drive files to see if the files made it they were no where to be found. I tried this procedure several times and got the same response uploading and finding no files transferred onto the hard drive. I decided to work on downloading e-mail from my e-mail site or editing some of the documents. Just before I was going to leave I again checked the Internet hard drive files and found triplicate sets of the files I was trying to upload. It was baffling. The scenario never happened prior nor after.

Since that time, a week prior, it seemed that SOME of the librarians or librarian assistants were especially annoyed with my presence at the computer. The ¡°peek-a-boo¡± syndrome continued and the direct questions as to what I was doing also were asked on a couple of occasions. I definitely sensed that I was being focused on for some strange reason. Librarian assistants would make use of their opportunities to re-file VCR tapes stored on the wall behind and next to me to take visual "snap shots" of the work I was doing on the computer. It happened often. I also noticed them lingering at the copier machine immediately in front of me taking longer than seemed the usual time to do their job.

A few weeks earlier, I believe on or about Friday, July 28, 2000 which was the fourth week in July, in the latter part of the afternoon, I noticed a man come out of the library dressed in a State of Illinois State Penitentiary Guard uniform. It was a forest green with the State of Illinois patch on the shoulders. The uniform seemed to fit somewhat baggily. The man LOOKED like a certain Harold King. His bearing was that of Harold King. When he saw me, he tried to keep me from seeing his face. He kind of scuffled his feet as if he was angry that I saw him and immediately went over to a gray mid-sized to compact station wagon, which at first impression was not of American manufacture, and entered. I believe his Illinois license number MIGHT have started with BL or B1 and ended with 431. He then pulled out somewhat angrily or as if trying to keep me from reading his plate numbers squealing his tires and left. I went in the library and pursued my e-mail downloading.

After the incident with what APPEARED to me to be Harold King in a State of Illinois State Penitentiary Guard uniform. I had a recollection of a conversation that Mr. King and his brother-in-law Lee Bourland had some years ago and more recently. In those conversations I heard reference to the fact that Mr. King was a former employee of the State of Illinois State Penitentiary. I believe he said at Stateville. I understood that he was a guard.

During the time from the "King" observation believed on or about Friday, July 28, 2000 to August 17, 2000, I experienced increasing scrutiny and what I would call harassment by librarian assistants and Mr. Parks.

I was converged on a second time by Mr. Larry Parks on August 17, 2000. I was using the Internet computer for an hour or two and he approached me at the terminal and said that we have to talk. He said that I am creating a problem and we have to talk about it now. I said ok and got up and he led me to the boardroom next to his office. We sat down and he started the conversation discussing that I am using the computer for long periods of time. I said to him that I thought we had already discussed the problem and that we had come to a mutual understanding. He responded that we have to deal with it again.

He said that residents come in to use the computers and leave because they are ALWAYS full and that they do not want to confront the circumstance so they leave. He said that these people do not want to confront him but he gets it through other sources. My response was that that complaint is a surprise due to the fact that usually when I come in, except for one occasion where they were totally full, the computers were usually totally empty. At least a couple of times only one was available. I believe I related that I had been coming in to this library since mid to late July and that was my experience. I related that my coming was usually once or twice a week except for one week and the present week,(August 7 through 12 and 14 through 17,2000), I came in several days due to an emergency overflow on my e-mail.

His response was that they have a large number of computers so they do not have the back up that Wood Dale has. I said they do. Schaumburg must have over a hundred and Naperville over fifty. I believe I related that the College of Dupage must have over two hundred computers between the lab and the library.

Mr. Parks said that they would be getting six more computers in this Fall but that does not come near to the number of those I mentioned nor eliminate the immediate problem. I reiterated that the problem of congestion and my "over using" the computer for e-mail seems unmerited. As I stated prior and in our last talk I have rarely seen anyone on the computers when I came in and rarely did anyone use the second computer when I was there. I said to him that he was harassing me.

Mr. Parks said that he has to give priority use to resident needs. I said I have no problem with that and repeated that the needs are not usually there as the computers are usually empty when I come and the second computer is empty even while I am there. He repeated people complain when they cannot get on the computers. He said that I take longer periods of time than anyone else has at the library except one individual and he was asked to leave due to the fact he was sitting there looking at pornography. Mr. Parks said that they do not allow viewing pornography even by mistake. At some point, I said that I do not view pornography but that some libraries are more liberal and some are conservative in what they allow on their computers.

I sensed his intimating that I was using the computer for viewing pornography so I related to him that I was unlawfully thrown out of College of Dupage under false pretenses. I was accused of using the computers also for long periods of time and that the Lieutenant,(Alsup), made a special trip out to Westmont branch to talk to me. I was pulled out of the lab one day and taken to a small room with a student assistant and was told that because I spend long periods of time in the labs and leave late at night and because they have young ladies all alone at those times and because I am a big six foot four height,(I am six foot five), they had to check me out.

A clear intimation that I might be a sex predator was the underlying insinuation. I related that I had observed, prior to these events, that someone was following me around the computers that I was using and putting reams of hard core porno sites in the histories of the browsers on those computers.

I related that someone was trying to frame me to look like something else. I related that my use for research, e-mail, Bible study and web page administration could hardly be grounds for throwing me out of the college. I related that they were trumped up allegations and that I would be dealing with them legally.

I said to Mr. Parks that I am basically downloading my e-mail to floppies for assimilation at a later date as the volume I get would not permit me to do so online. I said that additionally I upload same e-mail and documents to my Internet hard drives and web site where I store it.

He said I take too long. I said that I have a lot of e-mail with which to deal. He said I might be a pedophile or a nazi sending hate mail. I told him that he was insulting me and said that the states attorney monitors my web site. He immediately blew me off ignoring my reference to the states attorney. He then said that their e-mail services were not set up to handle my volume of e-mail.

He said since I had not taken their two-hour course I should not be using the Internet for so long. I said we went over this before. I said I realize that his policy may be home-rule but it sure is not the norm at any other library. He said that I have not taken the Internet class. I said that I have been using the Internet for over a year now. He said that they are not interested in how long or how much one knows about the Internet but rather whether one is familiar with THEIR procedures. I stated that we discussed the Internet class before. I reiterated that I have no problem in taking his Internet course but that Thursdays were out since I have other priority appointments of which I am committed. I informed him that I would be glad to take his course on Saturdays in September as we prior agreed if I was still staying here in town. He corrected me and said that they are holding class on Sundays not Saturdays. I said fine, on Sundays. I said that I thought that is what we agreed to do. I then said whether I am here or not I may come in to take your course.

I related that I have an Internet newspaper, the Porcupine Quills, and I can relate his position there. He stated additionally that I would not be allowed to upload and publish stories from their computers. I replied that my file uploads are to my hard drives. My hard drives are on my Internet web sites or Internet hard drives that are used for storage purposes that have file-sharing capabilities. He said that I would not be allowed to upload news stories from their computers and it began to sound as if he was going to prevent me from doing so from any library anywhere if he could help it.

Being so rudely treated and degraded. Reading between the lines with the evidence I presented above. I responded saying "I will say this in a padded way": The issues with the residents who cannot read signage and complain about the computers ALWAYS being in use is a bunch of bologna sausage. I said that if a person cannot read, then he does not belong in the library in the first place.

He said that he is finished with our conversation. I replied saying fine, but he took my time and I still have a few things to discuss. He refused to give me any of his time. He said we were finished talking and got up to usher me out of the boardroom.

On the way out he said that I was warned and stated that if I continued to use the Internet to upload published articles and excess e-mail and the like to my hard drives he would call the police. I said if he did that he would be sued for defamation, (not to mention discrimination). I said, as he rudely closed the door in my face, that I do not have to take this bullying. The assistant librarians on duty could hear me as they were near by.

A little later when Mr. Parks came out and was on his way back in to his office, I approached him at the door and asked him in the context of Love to read Matthew 18:1-17. He blew me off closing the door again. Again, librarian assistants near by could hear me.

Later, I asked a male library Internet assistant if Mr. Parks had a business card and he checked with Mr. Parks. The answer of Mr. Parks was that he did not. I further asked the assistant if Mr. Parks had a letterhead and the assistant asked and Mr. Parks replied he had none for me as I might write something on it. In other words, as I get it in the context of his prior demeanor, he implied that I might forge something onto the letterhead that would be a misrepresentation. This was another instigatory insult and certainly poor public relations and professionalism.

Between the time I had originally left Mr. Parks' office the first time and the time I left the library I finished up my e-mail DOWN loads. Just before leaving I again asked the male assistant what Mr. Parks' first name was and he immediately stated that it was Larry. I then asked him to relay to Mr. Parks that he started something and to tell him it will be dealt with. I related at some point my difficulty uploading my files on a prior visit as mentioned above.

I have not gone back to Wood Dale Public Library since August 17,2000 so to avoid any further suspicion or confrontation until I file a police information report.

The above account is a close accounting of the order and content of conversation. It is not, however, an exact quoted transcript of the conversation. It may have exact language modified but the essence is fairly represented.

In conclusion it is clear that Mr. Parks was not in good faith with yours truly. It is clear that he was insulting my intelligence and it is clear that he wanted to interfere with my commerce as well as my e-mail. He wanted to make my stay very uncomfortable in such a way so as to discourage my use of their facilities. He did not act in the spirit of the mandate of the public library. He wanted to escalate that scenario to a police level and defame my demeanor. It is clear that the people that could not read signs and could not find a computer to use when I was there were legalistic technocratic fabrications designed to give an air of truth but in fact was a house of cards and collusion. Does this sound like deja vu at some other libraries? There was only one time a party came, of which I am aware and recall, that needed to use the computer while I was on and the other computer was also in use. I was still within my guaranteed hour limit. The other party had been on the Internet computer longer than I but apparently was also within her hour limit. The new comer had a call put in to Elk Grove Village by the librarian. Elk Grove Village had a computer available as I understood it and the lady went that route. I had interjected, using time on my clock interrupting my train of thought in the spirit to help this lady resolve her frustration, and suggested that she go to Schaumburg as they must have fifty computers to use. She felt that that was too far to go. I sensed that she felt perplexed, annoyed and imposed upon that she could not get on the Internet at this library. However, obviously this lady was not of whom Mr. Parks was referring due to the fact that she did confront the situation!

It is also of importance to note the cause and effect of the party that visited the library in late July 2000. One question that needs to be answered is whether Mr. King indeed came to the Wood Dale Public Library. Did Mr. King use his retired prison guard uniform or other uniform to impersonate himself as perhaps a Illinois State Police Officer Guard. Did he pose as perhaps a probation officer, perhaps saying that he was my probation officer, who was tipping the librarians and director that I was a threat to wholesome conduct in the library? Was he suggesting or stating that I was an unkempt homeless person seeking shelter in the library, a pedophile or Nazi who could be transmitting literature of that nature over the Internet? Was he also doing this at other libraries in some way, shape or form?

The question remains to be answered as to how Mr. King found out I was using the library in Wood Dale, Illinois if indeed it was Mr. King. If it was someone who looked like Mr. King, why was he there?. Was he trying to make me think he was Mr. King and why did the negative atmosphere at the library toward me notably start after this man's visit? Does Mr. King have some questions to answer? I think so.

Finally, why did Mr. Larry Parks touch on this "bit" of information, whether it came from the "guard" or not, so willingly with me? What would provoke a man of whom I have never had contact, to my knowledge, prior to my coming to Wood Dale be so presumptuous, rude and axe grinding to a stranger? Mr. Larry Parks has a few questions to answer along with SOME of his very zealous librarian aides perhaps!

(Originally prepared on 9-14-2k 1:59 PM)