Vancouver librarians are told to cover up non-sponsors' logos during Olympic events

[Newsjock]

Source: The Globe and Mail

Librarians in Vancouver are being warned to solicit only official Olympic sponsors for any Games-themed events they organize next month, and to cover up the names of any competitors - even slapping tape on offending logos on audiovisual equipment.

The memo, written by marketing and communications manager Jean Kavanagh, tells staff to avoid such companies as Pepsi or Dairy Queen - neither of which is an official sponsor, unlike, say Coca-Cola or McDonald's. And she suggests taking unusual steps to avoid displaying the logos of non-sponsors, writing: "If you have a speaker/guest who happens to work for Telus, ensure he/she is not wearing their Telus jacket, as Bell is the official sponsor."

She also writes that any rented sound equipment have its brand name covered by cloth or tape - if it's not a machine from sponsor Panasonic.

Ms. Kavanagh said in an interview that her list of Olympic dos and don'ts does not constitute censorship.

But Alex Youngberg, president of the library union, says the memo is contrary to the spirit of a public library. "There's something in my library to offend everybody," she said. "And that's our job. Our job as library staff is to not ever censor any information."

Read more: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/about-vancouver/news/newsid=25635.html#library+asked+cover+sponsors+logos+during+games

[marmar]

1. Uggghhhh.....

Life, brought to you by the Corporation.

:puke:

[GodlessBiker]

2. Did she write to Pepsi and ask them to cover up all their signs in Vancouver?

This is insanity.

[RainDog]

3. this is wrong and Kavanaugh should be fired. she doesn't work for the corps

libraries are not subsidiaries of olympic sponsors.

this is really, really sick.

and this is targeted toward kids, in terms of who can filter bullshit from adverts.

shame on this woman. she is undermining the entire mission statement of libraries by becoming an advertising kiosk.

bleeech.

[enlightenment]

6. Fortunately, the librarian basically told her where she

could put the directive.

Kudos to him!

[derby378]

4. As if she didn't have anything better to do

Corporate shill to the bitter freakin' end.

[jotsy]

5. "We must erase proof that any body who didn't pony up exists!"

Ms. Kavanagh's belief that she could dictate what a public library has to do speaks volumes as to what her understanding of censorship is.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

7. :sigh: Marcom people.

Too stupid to do real marketing work, too lazy to be in sales.

[Berry Cool]

17. You're being a bit blanket condemnatory there.

I was in marcom once, and I was neither stupid nor lazy. I did real marketing work, too. And I think this particular directive is in the extreme of dumbness.

What, people throughout Vancouver are supposed to pretend that companies other than Olympic sponsors just don't exist?

I assume Visa is sponsoring the Olympics again...does that mean that no restaurant, hotel or business anywhere in Vancouver can take American Express?

Please. Tell me this is just a government toady getting overly zealous.

[Spazito]

8. Geez, neither VANOC or the city of Vancouver gave her the go-ahead for this...

I hope she is read the riot-act for this stupidity.

"Ms. Kavanagh said neither the city nor VANOC asked her to send the memo; she simply wanted to make staff aware of Olympic branding guidelines."

"VANOC spokesman Greg Alexis said the only time that VANOC would be concerned would be a case in which non-sponsor brands were used at an official Vancouver 2010 Winter Games event where the city's Olympic logo was used."

[Berry Cool]

18. There you go. She's an overzealous idiot.

She assumed VANOC would want her to do this, so she went ahead and did it, probably expecting a pat on the head for her initiative. Instead, she's going to end up looking like an idiot and have to very publicly retract her orders.

[earth mom]

9. Since when did this ugly american corporatist bullshit start spreading like a virus to Canada?!

:wtf:

:puke:

[Captain Hilts]

10. I hate the Olympics. nt

[Berry Cool]

19. Why hate the Olympics because of this? That's throwing out the baby with the bath water. n/t

[Captain Hilts]

21. It's a racket. Too many sports of selfish individuals that are judged rather than scored.

It's a huge corporate boondoggle.

[damntexdem]

11. Maybe they should also burn any non-sponsored books.

After all, the library is a city organization, and the city has sold its entire soul to the sponsors.

;-)

[KurtNYC]

12. and the host city gets no ad revenue!

Hosting the Olympics is a terrible idea for any community.

Let them hold the games in Athens every 4 years.

[paulsby]

13. i agree with the librarian's point, but her statement is a bold faced lie

"And that's our job. Our job as library staff is to not ever censor any information."

that's a lie. no canadian library will carry holocaust denial publications, or white supremacist crap, etc.

nor should they.

thus, they clearly DO censor.

it's hyperbole to say they never censor any information.

[csziggy]

14. I love librarians! They so don't take direction from corporate whores.

[Odin2005]

15. Those corporatist fucks need to STFU.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. I seem to remember similar antics in Atlanta

IOC wanted any business that was named "Olympic" or "Olympia" or anything similar to change their business name. Which would affect half of all Greek restaurants, I think. I'm not sure if they were successful at all in their IOC jackbooted manner.

:hi:

[cemaphonic]

20. There's more of this sort of thing too.

My brother lives on the UBC campus, and residents there are not supposed to display logos, banners, signs and whatnot of Olympic sponsor's competition.