Go the F**k to Spam

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When technology and literature collide: George Williams, media relations manager for the District of Columbia Public Library, shared the following anecdote with American Libraries:

The DC Public Library hit a snag when fulfilling hold requests for Adam Mansbach’s book, Go the F**k to Sleep. A city government email filter designed to prevent abusive language or profanity inadvertently blocked messages containing requests for Mansbach’s book. Since discovering the problem, the library has asked that the email filter be relaxed, allowing users to request the book online.

A WorldCat search indicates that 243 libraries have the decidedly adult bedtime-story parody, beautifully illustrated by Ricardo Cortés, in their collections. Here’s hoping their filters are less prone to the phenomenon of unintended consequences.