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
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2 comments:
Well, I am glad to hear that the library won this battle. How horrible that these people think that their personal opinion is more important than the personal choices of others. To seek the mayor's resignation and request $120,000 for psychological damages for this next case! How can they even request this without feeling silly and ridiculous. They do not have to read the book! but others want to or it would not have been ordered. Surely our courts of law have more important things to do.
I can't get over the fact that the second lawsuit stipulates that they want to publicly burn the book. And, how can you claim a library book caused psychological damage. No one made you look at it. Lawsuits like this make it difficult to take challenges seriously. There are times when parents and "concerned citizens" have genuine issues with books. I may or may not agree with their issue, but at least it is genuine. The way this comes across is not genuine.
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