Freedom of Speech Anyone?

Perhaps I should have started this blog with a legal disclaimer:

All characters are fictional. Any similarities with living or deceased people are coincidental. In case of real life events, creative license has been taken.

I know I'm a bit late chiming in on this but for those of you who haven't yet read it, a Library Associate in Michigan was fired for writing a fictionalized account of her dealings with patrons. Uh, you got that right. Have I mentioned how much I love my job?

The AP article was posted on the bulletin board at my library. I'm stunned. Personally, I thought not disclosing your name, the location of the library, or the patrons' personal information was plenty of protection for those with qualms about confidentiality.

It certainly gave me pause. I don't have a book deal. But the truth of the matter is our lives intersect. My interaction with the public affects me in a personal way and I give voice to my personal musings here. The LA made a good faith effort to protect confidentiality. If anyone damaged that, it was the library itself by drawing attention to the author's identity and verifying that the characters weren't so fictional after all.

While I'm ranting, how 'bout this... The library is a public space. If the patron wanted privacy they wouldn't be jacking off in the library. The last I heard, public nudity was illegal and writing about it was not grounds for dismissal.