Protect Your Personal Data and Privacy by Protecting Samuels

I am not a librarian and am not employed by Samuels. I’ve always been just a volunteer. My actual degree is in CyberSecurity. This means that I care about your personal data and privacy. Thus, I have a unique perspective on this issue that I’d like you to consider.

You’ve probably seen a lot of information about what is happening on Tuesday. In short, I expect the BoS will sign the contract with LS&S. Important thing to note: the minute that happens if LS&S doesn’t become our library, we, the taxpayers, must fork over $250,000.

LS&S isn’t stupid; they are a for-profit business. I suspect they know the BoS won’t win and are banking on the quarter million easy money. But even if the BoS wins, it’s still a super sweet contract. If Samuels were to get that deal—DUDE! The things we could do with the extra money!  And they’d actually benefit you, the taxpayer, not an out-of-state company.

Now, my area is privacy and security of your personal data. Warren County Library would be a government-run entity with a for-profit corporation that takes orders from a library board of UNELECTED people with obvious religious motivations. They would have access to your personal information, including your checkout history.

Okay, you don’t care about yours – how about the children of Warren County? I DO NOT want this group, who have proven time and time again that they want to force their views on others, to have access to the reading history of the children in our community.  Think about it, Eric Belk would be able to see what children read and their home addresses.  Again, I don’t want anyone to have unrestricted access to that information, but someone who I believe uses bully-like tactics to get his way – that frightens me.  As an individual and a professional.

Now let’s say they don’t like what you read, can they publicly shame you?  Keep in mind all of the horrible names that the staff were called in the first round. The horrible names I was called -the demon was probably the nicest.

If we want to leave the reading history out of it, they can sell your information to companies they want.  Say ones that align with their political or religious views.  Do you want more spam calls or junk mail?  And if they do use your reading history they can really target those to the individuals they think need to be ‘saved’ most.

This largely depends on the contract or lack of contract you sign when you get a library card from the Warren County Library.

What if they opt to raise the ‘late fees’ because they need to pay for the fact that this setup is going to cost more money? Are they going to use this as a revenue stream?  That money goes to the county.  If you were against speed cameras, you should care about this, too!

Of course we all know this is about removing materials they don’t want in the collection, I want to remind everyone it wasn’t just LGBTQ+ they wanted to ban: IVF, witchcraft (ie books about wizards) and anything they saw as anti-catholic.  If you don’t believe me – I can show you the forms they submitted that said just that.  I know this because I transcribed every single one into a spreadsheet.  One person even used their minor child as a name on the reconsideration form.

This is about more than money—it is about privacy, freedom, and the forced adoption of a small group of people’s views by a community.

We all know they aren’t going to listen to us on Tuesday, even if we pack the place with 300 people. But they’ll have to listen to us at the polls. People in Happy Creek and Fork have the power to send a message – go vote! You don’t have to be a Republican – just a registered voter in that district!  Local elections aren’t supposed to be party-affiliated; a voter is a voter!  We are relying on you – please, please help Protect Samuels Library. We’ll keep on fighting, but we can’t do it alone.  And please still come Tuesday; showing up helps those fighting see that we aren’t alone.

And if you can, donate DIRECTLY to Samuels Public Library. They have an emergency fund that they are using and investing in the long-term survival of our public library. The county will NOT get this money—if you donate directly, it belongs to Samuels.

If you aren’t in the two districts voting, you can add your name to the list of supporters by joining Friends of Samuels Library (FOSL). Your yearly membership supports the library and raises our membership numbers, which we report as additional support from the community. But your name is kept private because we care about your privacy!

I never thought that in my line of work, I would have to fight for libraries, but seeing as how they are the biggest repository of free information, I consider it my duty.  If they become restricted, we become one step closer to George Orwells 1984.  If you haven’t read it, Samuels has a copy of it.  Will it be there if Warren County takes over?  I can’t say.

Sydney Patton
Shenandoah District 
Warren County, VA

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the letters published on this page are solely those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Royal Examiner’s editorial team, its affiliates, or advertisers. The Royal Examiner does not endorse or take responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any statements made by the authors. The Royal Examiner has not independently verified the statements and claims presented in the letters. Readers are encouraged to exercise their judgment and critical thinking skills when evaluating the content. Any reliance on the information in the letters is at the reader’s own risk.

While the Royal Examiner makes every effort to publish diverse opinions, it does not guarantee the publication of all received letters. The Royal Examiner reserves the right to edit letters for clarity, length, and adherence to editorial guidelines. Moreover, the Royal Examiner does not assume any liability for any loss or damage incurred by readers due to the content of the letters or any subsequent actions based on these opinions.

In submitting a letter to the editor, authors grant the newspaper the right to publish, edit, reproduce, or distribute the content in print, online, or any other form.

We value our readers’ engagement and encourage open and constructive discussions on various topics. However, the Royal Examiner retains the right to reject any letter that contains offensive language, personal attacks, or violates any legal regulations. Thank you for being a part of our vibrant community of readers and contributors, and we look forward to receiving your diverse perspectives on matters of interest and importance.