Restricting Minors' Library Access

These articles actually date back to earlier this year, but they tell a story that seems to be one of the more common intellectual freedom challenges American libraries face. In February, a Kansas public library board voted to restrict access to four books about sex in order to prevent minors from viewing them. A group called Kansans for Common Sense and a local pastor spoke in favor of the new restrictions, while other citizens and the library director argued vehemently against the proposal. In April, the board modified its opinion, possibly fearing lawsuits. The board voted to retain the four books on the shelves with the non-fiction health books but to post public service statements acknowledging sex-related materials in the collection.

Materials dealing with sex appear to be among the most frequently challenged items in libraries, and minors' access is often the key point of the argument. I agree completely with the library director that the initial decision was ludicrous and may have opened the library up to potential lawsuits. Besides the obvious issue of violating patrons' intellectual freedom rights, this story exemplifies the concept of fruitless endeavors on the part of the pro-restrictions group. The library director indicated that there are more than 600 books dealing with sex, but these restrictions only accounted for 4! I certainly would not want the group to advocate the restriction or removal of all of these books, and it would seem completely impractical. However, if their mission is to "protect" minors, I do not think that these four titles are the only books that they would find objectionable.

Whatever their motivations, I am pleased that the board members revisited this issue. Libraries should allow patrons and parents to make their own individual decisions regarding materials rather than forcing their entire patron base to encounter difficulty accessing certain materials. This story also highlights the importance of public library boards and the need for responsible, informed people to hold those seats.

Link to original article from February: http://cjonline.com/stories/022009/loc_395979087.shtml

Link to follow-up article from April: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6652322.html

Good News for Blind and Low-Vision Patrons

Since my discussion topic this week was access, I decided to look for a news story that would relate to that theme from a different aspect. After decades of stagnation, the National Library Service, which provides library materials for blind and low-vision patrons, has finally updated. Apparently, the NLS has used cassette tapes and players to provide audio versions of books since the 1970s, when the service last upgraded from records! I have seen the clunky old cassette players and tapes come through the public library where I work, and they seem terribly outdated. Luckily, the NLS will begin transitioning to flash drives and digital media players this summer. At a cost of $75 million to cover the nation, the changeover will take a projected six years to complete. Even more impressive, the new digital machines cost $100 less than the old cassette players, and the flash drives will be able to store more books.

Due to the nature of access inequity, much of the reading and discussion tended to focus on the negative. Therefore, I was relieved to find an article that offered some happier news. Blind and low-vision patrons deserve access to library materials, but they can be a neglected patron group, and fulfilling their needs can be challenging. Clearly, it was way past time for the NLS to update their materials method. At a time when so much funding is cut, I was pleased to see that an under-served patron group will be receiving a positive upgrade. During a summer vacation, I once worked for a company that produced quick turnaround Braille materials, so I understand the difficulty and expense involved in satisfying the ADA requirements. Still, that does not excuse the lack of progress made over the last thirty to forty years. The NLS has not updated since well before I was even born. Even though that may be typical of government programs, I was still surprised, especially since this transition may ultimately save money. Despite the bad history, this news story is a positive, as technological progress finally reaches the NLS. It will likely be several years before many patrons experience the new technology, as military veterans get first priority. I am looking forward to seeing the new digital players and flash drives someday, and hopefully, the NLS will successfully communicate this good news to their patrons.

Link to news story with a neat video showing the new digital machines: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/06/bayside-library-disabled-gets-needed-upgrade

Latest Chapter in West Bend Saga

For the last several weeks, the West Bend Community Memorial Library in Wisconsin has generated headlines regarding young adult book reconsideration requests. Two community residents requested that YA books involving sexual situations or homosexuality be removed, relocated, or restricted from the rest of the YA collection. The drama has enveloped the library board, city council, and numerous citizens. Finally, this past Tuesday, the library board unanimously voted against any restrictions on the current YA collection. Naturally, the complainants remain dissatisfied with this decision, threatening to spread the word that the library is an unsafe place.

Unfortunately, West Bend faces yet another obstacle to intellectual freedom: a lawsuit over the book, Baby Be-Bop. Brought forth by the Christian Civil Liberties Union, the complainants wish to burn the library copy, seek the mayor's resignation, and request $120,000 in compensation for psychological damages suffered for having seen the library book! The same city encountering these two challenges within months is unfortunate and ridiculous. In the first situation, the citizens had every right to request reconsideration of materials, but the case seemed to avalanche out of proportion. Thankfully, the library board made the correct ruling, declining to violate intellectual freedom principles in favor of certain individuals' extreme definitions of "safety."

However, this second situation epitomizes the phenomenon of absurd American lawsuits. I do not imagine West Bend will lose the lawsuit, but the city will have to pay legal costs and deal with the issue. Intellectual freedom would be in danger if this lawsuit's basis gains actual legal approval. The very idea of such library book-induced emotional damages galls me, and I hope the case will be dismissed quickly. I am glad that I do not work for West Bend, but these cases demonstrate the potential challenges to intellectual freedom that all librarians might face someday.

Link to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article about the board's YA vote:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/46772872.html

Link to ALA article about the lawsuit:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2009/june2009/westbendbabybebop060309.cfm

Censorship in School Library

A New Jersey middle school recently made headlines when its principal censored a teen poetry book in response to a parental complaint. After one student's mother objected to the poem, "Diary of an Abusive Stepfather," the principal simply removed the pages with this piece from the book, Paint Me Like I Am. The school system's superintendent backed this decision. Written by a teen author, the poem in dispute contains profane language and violent content, as it describes the perspective of a child abuser.

Perhaps this work needs to be evaluated for its appropriateness in a middle school library. However, the school administration's approach to the situation violates the standards of responsible review and the ethics of intellectual freedom. The ALA correctly declares such "expurgation of library materials" to be in opposition to the Library Bill of Rights as it alters the author's original work and perhaps his or her overall message (Intellectual Freedom Manual, p. 146-147). Since authors generally do not approve these changes, this form of censorship may also break United States copyright laws.

Although the principal evidently believed he was doing less harm by retaining the book without its incendiary pages instead of removing the book completely, he clearly acted unwisely. In the future, would the principal remove any item that a parent declared offensive? One person should never make such decisions in a democratic society. The school library should have a process in place for parents and patrons to request reconsideration of materials. This process should involve a formal complaint, a committee review, and standardized guidelines. The administration's handling of this situation was wildly inappropriate and unethical; hopefully, community backlash will encourage the school to amend their procedure.

Link to the story:
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20090518/NEWS01/905180322

References

Marko, D.M. (2009, May 18). Vineland principal censors book. The Daily Journal. Retrieved from http://www.thedailyjournal.com

Office of Intellectual Freedom. (2006). Intellectual Freedom Manual, 7th ed. Chicago: American Library Association.

Monitor Your Local Politics

A severe challenge to intellectual freedom nearly came to pass in a small Utah town early this month. The Tremonton city council actually approved an ordinance that would have made parental consent mandatory for any minors to check out a work of "adult fiction" from the Tremonton City Library. A city council member who also holds a library board seat actually admitted that he erroneously voted for the ordinance, believing that the board must have approved it. Naturally, the head librarian strenuously objected to this ordinance, correctly citing it as an attack on intellectual freedom. Luckily for Tremonton, the council repealed the ordinance before it ever took legal effect. Furthermore, the council amended their process to require individuals making agenda requests to appear at the meeting and state their cases to prevent future confusion.

This news story caught my attention because it emphasizes the precarious nature of local politics and the hazards they may pose to libraries. As a strong believer in public libraries, I was appalled to realize how easily a city or county council could hamper intellectual freedom. Although this story had a happy ending, other challenges might not be so innocuous. While this ridiculous rule might have been ultimately appealed as unjust, the interim repercussions would have been devastating to that library and its patrons. The Tremonton situation offers a great reminder to all librarians to monitor local politics, to elect competent, invested individuals, and to be prepared to defend intellectual freedom in the public domain.

Link to the original article describing the ordinance:
http://www.standard.net/live/news/171594

Link to the follow-up article explaining its repeal:
http://www.standard.net/live/news/171772

Coming Soon...

Starting this summer, this blog will be my home base for posting about all things regarding intellectual freedom. I am participating in a seminar about that topic and look forward to sharing some news and ideas about the current state of intellectual freedom, especially as it pertains to libraries. See you soon!

Current Occupational Trends

While scanning the feed for "Library Journal--Library Culture," I discovered that the Library Journal recently published the results of its yearly "Placements and Salaries Survey." You can read a brief overview of the current statistical trends at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6605987.html?nid=3279. As a current library science student, I am naturally interested in occupational trends for the library and information science field. In good news, this past year's graduates' salaries averaged $42,361 per year, which was a 3.1% increase over last year's graduates. Unfortunately, there was also an increase in the number of temporary positions graduates took, which generally provide less money, benefits, and security than permanent positions.

For more detailed results, including a dozen different sections, check out http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6602490.html&cache=FALSE. I found Stephanie Maatta's section titled "Inside the Library Gender Gap" particularly thought-provoking. Despite the fact that women were far more numerous in the field (80% of new workers), they earned on average 7.7% less than men did. The article details some variance resultant from library type and region. Unfortunately, some of the lowest starting salaries were earned in the Midwest, the region where I currently live and work. Granted, cost-of-living may be somewhat less as well, but that news is still a bit distressing.

Another section worth examining for current and prospective librarians is Maatta's look at "Beyond the Library: Public vs. Private Sector Jobs," which you can read at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6604391.html. She discusses some trends occurring in the private sector, ranging from corporate positions to non-profit jobs. As a result of this wide variance, private sector positions included some of the best and worst salaries for library/information science graduates.

Overall, I would recommend checking out the Library Journal website or subscribing to one or more of their feeds, which are helpfully divided into subgroups depending on your interests at http://www.bloglines.com.