And The Practical Effect Is. . .

The Topeka, Kansas, public library has voted to keep minors from accessing five sex manuals, including "The "Joy of Sex".

By a 5-3 vote, the board decided to keep people under 21 away from the manuals, including "The Joy of Sex", "The Joy of Gay Sex", "The Lesbian Kama Sutra" and something called "Sex For Busy People."

Seemingly unnoticed in the ensuing -- and completely predictable -- uproar is the simple fact that the library's action in restricting (some would say "banning") the books has precisely no effect in the Internet age.

Understand, I am opposed to censorship and "The Joy of Sex" -- the only one of the books I am familiar with -- is a book I'd gladly give to a curious 14-year-old. On the other hand, I can understand that most of the minors who check out the book are going to use it as arousing material for solitary sex practice and their parents might object. I also expect that the books would be at the top of the library's "most stolen" list.

However that's immaterial if the purpose is to keep kids away from such material. Most kids no longer get their sex education on street corners. Now they go on line to find out. Which as far as I'm concerned is a very good thing.

Quite simply the rules of the game have changed and public libraries are losing a lot of their importance as sources of information. Things like popular fiction and movies are becoming more important to library patrons and one of the most used features at the public libraries is the bank of computers for patrons to go online.

To their credit librarians are aware of this, but they still haven't figured out how to deal with it.

As someone who spent many happy hours in the public library I'd be sorry to see libraries disappear. I don't think they will though. I expect that like bookstores and so much else in our society they will maintain their name and shift their function under the influence of the new media.