City of Roseville libraries ban the Sacramento News & Review

Last week, Roseville became the first city to ban SN&R at its libraries.

Here's what happened: We deliver thousands of papers each week to libraries in the region. We've done this for 25 years. They're important hubs for free information.

Our driver arrived in Roseville, same as every week, but a librarian stopped him: He could no longer distribute papers.

There was no courtesy call about this new policy, which now says that only information approved by the city will be allowed.

A librarian emailed our our distribution manager, Greg Erwin, to explain that there wasn't enough space for every poster, brochure and newspaper. Erwin snapped a picture of a lobby kiosk. Looked like there was plenty of space on those shelves.

Eventually, Roseville spokesperson Brian Jacobson explained that library staff was spending too much time managing all the posters and pamphlets that the public drops off. Isn't that a librarian's job? To organize information?

Apparently not in Roseville, where free publications such as SN&R, the Woodcreek News, Learning Exchange, UC Davis Extension and others are now banned. I guess Roseville doesn't want its residents taking higher-ed classes at UCD, or learning how to cook via Exchange courses?

Oh, Roseville: I can sympathize with being overwhelmed. This is a newspaper; we get thousands of emails, letters and press releases each week. It's a hard job.

Perhaps you might sympathize with our Roseville-based readers, who pick up hundreds of copies of SN&R at your libraries each month? Or at least they used to.

I view this as a First Amendment issue. Libraries should be public strongholds for free access to information, not bastions of censorship and red tape.