http://parkerstudio.com/whoisafraid.html

From this account by 2 artist/activists, it seems that NYPL's security staff is emulating the Homeland Security officers that just got busted in Maryland for enforcing non-existent policy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/16/AR2006021602066.html

In this case it seems that the coat checkers were protecting attendees from posters measuring more than 11 x 14 inches tall. http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060417ta_talk_paumgarten (However, from this article it seems that the policy is about preventing theft...)

Regardless of the reason for it, it seems to me that the incident leaves NYPL looking more like an ironically named "Free Speech Zone" at a street demonstration than a place for real discourse and learning, and it leaves me feeling pretty mortified.