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Thursday, March 19, 2009

West Bend Library - more imbalance - but we're not surprised

So, we found this intriguing...

The SHARE library system at the West Bend Community Memorial Library has books that shed positive light on Planned Parenthood (in the adult section), but.....hmmmmm....nothing that lends the truth to the PP agenda....

But we're not surprised.

An interesting article from Plan2Succeed.org -


Censorship- The ALA’s Bait and Switch Shell Game

Every fall the ALA has its annual “Banned Book” listing! Anyone who formally (meaning in writing) requests a book be removed and pursues this with the Library Board of Trustees is automatically labeled a “Censor.”

The ALA has in place the step by step procedures for handling these “censors.” By labeling a person, like me, a censor and making the issue a 1st Amendment question for debate and scrutiny in the public eye, the “censor” is locked in a fierce argument with the army of ALA backers including the ACLU, Playboy lawyers, average citizens, etc., who don’t want their 1st Amendment right stripped in the local library. This ploy leaves the inexperienced, lonely “censor” in the bait and switch game of citizens engaged in a “my rights vs. your rights” battle. As the argument makes the rounds on radio, TV, and newspaper, the library escapes the heat and the two sides become the issue …

When there is a justified reason to question a book (e.g., “Show Me”) for being in the children’s section of the local library, the heated debate may force the library to create its own in-house committee to review the material. (Note: There is never an independent review of the questioned material but the review is by librarians who are pledged to support the Library Bill of Rights. Once reviewed a recommendation may be given to the Board of Trustees for action. In our local library because of the books questioned while I was on the Board, the Trustees gave full authority to the hired Library Director to resolve the issue. But the end result predictably is: the material stays and is not removed unless there is a legal liability for the library, which is rare.

Ignored in the debate is the librarian who put the book on the shelf. The process of putting books on the shelf in library circles is called “Selective Review.” But in reality censorship may be taking place in the local library if the librarian is stacking the shelves with the ALA’s agenda. By labeling everyone who questions the “Selective Review” process a “Censor,” the librarian escapes the label and can continue to stack the shelves in favor of the ALA issues expressed at their annual meetings!

3 comments:

Libby said...

Just FYI...The info that you link to indicates that "libraries claim (falsely) that they do not act “in loco parentis”..." Libraries that are in schools do have to act in loco parentis, however, public libraries do not.

Also, the reason that most challenges are handled by a library board and not a so-called "independent" reviewer is because in most cases, the library board is elected, and is meant to represent the community. More often than not, the board is composed of lay members of the community, not librarians or even people who are especially familiar with the ALA or library policy or procedure.

I believe the West Bend Library's board is appointed (I may be mistaken) but they are also not likely a board that is comprised of individuals who are inherently biased one way or another.

Also, the ALA isn't nearly as Big Brother-ish as you and the author of this piece seem to believe. Yes, they do have policies in place that most libraries adhere to, but no librarian I know is ordering books based on some ALA-approved agenda. Librarians buy books based on what they feel the community wants and needs, the quality of the material, and in the case of nonfiction, the accuracy of the work and authority of the author. That's basically it.

There is no "stack[ing] the shelves in favor of the ALA issues expressed at their annual meetings." I've BEEN to ALA annual meetings, and that statement is pure paranoia.

One other thing, your library does in fact carry at least one book about Planned Parenthood that is meant to "...expose the deceitfulness of Planned Parenthood...". The book is "Grand Illusions: the legacy of Planned Parenthood" by George Grant.

West Bend Citizen Advocate said...

Libby,

Our local library board is appointed by the city mayor, none of whom (including the mayor) had one inkling about any of this. They have had no input regarding the issues.

"Also, the ALA isn't nearly as Big Brother-ish as you and the author of this piece seem to believe. Yes, they do have policies in place that most libraries adhere to, but no librarian I know is ordering books based on some ALA-approved agenda."

Sorry, can't agree with you there at all.

Case in point: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/glbtrt/index.cfm

"One other thing, your library does in fact carry at least one book about Planned Parenthood that is meant to "...expose the deceitfulness of Planned Parenthood...". The book is "Grand Illusions: the legacy of Planned Parenthood" by George Grant."

My apologies. OK, everyone, I was wrong - they have ONE book. Whew! Glad that balanced it out!

Libby said...

The fact that a GLBT Round Table exists does not mean that it is some kind of mindless "they suggest books, we must put them on the shelves" kind of relationship. It's a resource that can be used if a library needs it, just like the Ethnic and Multicultural Exchange Round Table or the Library Research Round Table.

They are there if librarians need help with a specific collection or service. Yes, some Round Tables have book awards and collection guidelines, and what's wrong with that? Do you know how many awards there are? And 'best books' lists on every subject under the sun? Sometimes it's nice to have a place to start, but just because something exists does not mean that librarians are in thrall to it. Local decisions about local collections are made by librarians dealing with a specific population and specific needs.

If a patron comes to me and says, Libby, why don't we have books about gay kids struggling with their identity? Or, why aren't there more books about kids who are the same ethnicity as me? Would I use the lists provided by these Round Tables as a starting point? Probably. They are provided by my professional organization as a way to help me fulfill the needs of my patrons. But no librarian would look at just one list, order the books, and be done. There is always more evaluation to be done and more reviews to be read to make sure that the books you buy will fit the needs of your patrons.

The GLBTRT also provides support for librarians who are themselves GLBT. It's not always about an "ALA agenda," sometimes it's just about people wanting contacts who may be going through similar situations in their professional lives. The American Medical Association also has a GLBT Advisory Committee, which is both for physicians who are GLBT and those treating GLBT patients. How is that different from the ALA GLBT Round Table, which is both for librarians who are GLBT and librarians who serve GLBT patrons? It's there if you need it, whether for yourself or someone you serve, and what's wrong with that?