Demonstrate awareness of the ethics, values, and foundational principles of one of the information professions, and discuss the importance of intellectual freedom within that profession.
“With a library you are free, not confined by temporary political climates. It is the most democratic of institutions because no one – but no one at all – can tell you what to read and when and how.”
–Doris Lessing
EXPLICATION
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees freedom of speech for all people. Supreme Court cases challenging various aspects of this amendment, particularly Martin v. City of Struthers, have confirmed that the First Amendment also assures the right to receive ideas. In writing the decision for Martin v. City of Struthers, Justice Hugo Black (1943) states, “This freedom [of speech and press] embraces the right to distribute literature, and necessarily protect the right to receive it […]. [It is] vital to the preservation of a free society.” In other words, intellectual freedom—“the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely” (ALA)—for all people is a constitutionally protected right.
In theory it is the government (i.e., elected, appointed, and hired officials) who protect the First Amendment rights of their citizenry, but clearly librarians also have a duty to protect that right. In fact, in the post-9/11 United States, where suspicion and fear of terrorist acts led to the creation of the Patriot Act, it has become imperative that librarians carry that torch, protecting the First Amendment rights of the citizenry from threats imposed by government restrictions and what is politely termed as monitoring the information interests of its citizenry. This so-called monitoring is a direct affront to the First Amendment rights and intellectual freedom, as its goal is to judge and censor certain types of information.
The United States is considered a democracy in which the whole population has a hand in government via the right to elect officials to represent their interests, which necessitates an informed citizenry. In the 21stcentury world of information, this can be difficult. There are unprecedented amounts of information available that reflect every possible facet of opinion. According to Marek (2015), “the emergence of this information-based society has profoundly shaped the development of laws, rules, and policies that govern information use and flow” (p. 281). The edicts of the Patriot Act, terrorist watchlists, and a variety of other measures instituted to “guarantee public safety” threaten to undermine the very democracy the United States claims to be by impeding the rights of intellectual freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment. This puts librarians on the front lines of protecting that right. To this end, the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association, Core Values of Librarianship, the Library Bill of Rights, and The Freedom to Read Statementhave become important “weapons” in ensuring the continued intellectual freedom of all people.
Code of Ethics and Core Values of Librarianship
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “ethics” as “the codes of conduct or moral principles recognized in a particular profession, sphere of activity, relationship, or other context or aspect of human life” (OED 2016). For librarians, it is the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association (2008) and the Core Values of Librarianship (2004) that guide all aspects of librarianship from decision making to professional conduct when dealing with patrons and coworkers. Essentially, the Code of Ethics guides librarians in actions and decision making while the Core Values of Librarianship describe what librarianship should entail. These documents are critical to maintaining and ensuring intellectual freedom for patrons. Adherence to these ethics and values means librarians must provide unfettered and equitable access to information materials for all people. Furthermore, in assisting patrons in their search for information, librarians must shelve their personal beliefs and convictions, respecting all users’ right to access any and all types of information without judgment or censorship. The actions and decisions of librarians must always be driven by “the public good”: what is best for the public at large as well as the individuals that make up that public. In other words, theCode of Ethics of the American Library Association and the Core Values of Librarianship remind librarians to always provide the highest quality service in a courteous and respectful manner to all who utilize library services and materials with the intention of ensuring the free flow of information and ideas.
Library Bill of Rights
Just as the Bill of Rights (1996) defends the liberties of the United States citizenry, so does the Library Bill of Rights defend the liberties of library users, particularly the right of intellectual freedom. The principles set forth in this document speak directly to the continued protection of intellectual freedom. More specifically, these principles seek to ensure that intellectual freedom is not compromised by its primary enemy: censorship. The Library Bill of Rights denounces the censoring of materials, declaring that libraries should provide information representing all variety of interests and enlightenment and expressing all points of view. Furthermore, this document denounces the censoring of the types of people—and their varying viewpoints—who may use the library and its materials and services.
Freedom to Read Statement
The Freedom to Read Statement (2004) is an explication of the necessity for the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association, the Core Values of Librarianship, and the Library Bill of Rights. It explains the importance, nay, the essentialness, of the free-flow of ideas to a democratic society. Furthermore, the current incarnation of this document emphasizes how the freedom to read is more important than ever in the post-9/11 world, reminding us that “suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension” (ALA 2004). Among the assertions set forth in The Freedom to Read Statement are:
- the diversity of the citizenry necessitates providing the broadest possible range of views,
- new ideas may be different, but that does not mean they are bad or harmful,
- the ideas and points of view expressed in library materials do not necessarily represent the ideas and points of view of the librarians who ensure their availability,
- no one has the right to decide what other people think or what their points of view should be.
In essence, The Freedom to Read Statement decries censorship of all forms and upholds the First Amendment by emphasizing the importance of the exchange of ideas through reading that ensures a democratic society.
COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT
Coursework
Most of the classes I have taken in the MLIS program have included discussions relating the foundational principles of librarianship to the particular course topic. I first read the ALA’s Code of Ethics of the American Library Association, Core Values of Librarianship, the Library Bill of Rights, and The Freedom to Read Statement in INFO-200, Information Communities. These documents provide the framework that guided my perspective throughout the remainder of my MLIS classes. I revisited the documents often throughout my time in the MLIS program, in particular for INFO-210, Reference and Information Services; INFO-254, Information Literacy and Learning; and INFO-282, Seminar in Library Management–Correctional Library Management. In fact, it was the Correctional Library Management class that really put my understanding of, and support for, these principles and ethics to the test. In particular, I had to look closely at my stance regarding censorship as it pertains to the right to read and the “all for all” attitude towards access intellectual freedom. As the evidence offered shows, a clear progression in my understanding of the topic of censorship as it pertains to intellectual freedom has progressed and deepened.
EVIDENCE
1. Censorship and Children’s Education
In theory, I have always been opposed to censorship. However, the importance of fighting against censorship became clear to me during my first college class, Freshman Composition. A class discussion happened upon the topic of banned books. I shared with the class that I still read to my daughter every night (she was 13 at the time) and that we had recently read The Catcher in the Rye. My daughter was a voracious reader from an early age and I had been reading to her nightly most of her life. I explained that I had previously read the book myself and felt that the subject matter was not too sophisticated for her and that, in fact, the subject matter provided great fodder for discussions on important subjects. Another student, much younger and raised with strict moral convictions based on her religion, verbally attacked me, declaring that I was an unfit parent and that my daughter would, no doubt, grow up to have serious behavioral issues and aberrant ideas. The essence of my defense became the basis of my research paper for that class: every book has something in it that is potentially offensive to another person. However, just because a word or idea in a book is offensive to one person, does not mean that the book should be kept from all people. This paper, “Censorship: The Long-Term Effects on Children’s Education,” explains the detrimental effects of censorship on children’s education.
2. Censorship and Education: A Continuum of Effect
Censorship is an underlying theme in many of my undergraduate, as well as graduate-level, essays. As shown in the first piece of evidence, I began by exploring the detrimental effect of censorship on the education of younger children, particularly in the area of reading comprehension. Other undergraduate research papers explored how censorship of reading materials could have a direct effect on both the critical thinking and writing skills of students of all ages. The next piece of evidence I present was written for LIBR-200 (now INFO-200). It argues that the detrimental effects of censorship on minors can be viewed as a continuum and that teens may suffer more detrimental effects than younger children. It explains the importance of providing a wide range of reading materials for teens: in essence, the level of maturity varies greatly for those between the ages of 12 and 18. Often, censorship practiced in classrooms and school libraries means that reading materials pander to the lowest level of maturity in order to ensure that “controversial” material (e.g., offensive language, sexuality, non-traditional family values, etc.) are not available to those not ready or equipped to handle these topics (or those whose parents do not believe they should be exposed to such topics). As I note in my paper, “Censorship,” providing books on a wide variety of topics and that cater to a wide variety of maturity levels means that teens are more likely to find reading material that interests them and, in turn, will further their critical thinking skills and build their knowledge and sense of compassion.
3. Censorship and the Prison Library
While I am clearly strongly opposed to censorship, there are areas of librarianship where censorship—or what is often considered censorship—is not only appropriate but necessary. While taking LIBR-282—Correctional Library Management—I learned about the importance of providing appropriate reading material for the incarcerated as a way of supporting their rehabilitative efforts as well as maintaining security for prison employees and inmates. The ALA’s Prisoners’ Right to Read statement (2014) is an interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights that supposedly addresses the special circumstances of providing reading material to the incarcerated. However, this statement does not give serious consideration to the fact that correctional librarians are first and foremost employees of the Department of Corrections and, as such, are required by oath to uphold the goals and priorities of the prison, chief of which is security. Among other declarations put forth in the Prisoner’s Right to Read are that “Correctional librarians should select resources that reflect the demographic composition, information needs, interests, and diverse cultural values of the confined communities they serve,” and “Correctional librarians should be allowed to purchase resources that meet written selection criteria and provide for the multi-faceted needs of their populations without prior correctional agency review. They should be allowed to acquire resources from a wide range of sources in order to ensure a broad and diverse collection. Correctional librarians should not be limited to purchasing from a list of approved resources” (ALA 2014). This ignores a statement in The Freedom to Read Statement in which, while explaining the “fundamental premise of democracy,” that “the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad” (emphasis added) (ALA 2004). By the very nature of being in prison, the incarcerated have proven that they do not necessarily exercise critical judgment. Thus the necessity of careful screening and choosing materials that support their efforts to become rehabilitated and to successfully reintegrate into society. This premise is fully explained in my paper, “Value-Oriented Collection Development in Prison Libraries Meets the Needs of the Patron Community and Stakeholders,” composed for INFO-266—Collection Development.
CONCLUSION
The ethics and values held by librarians are critical to ensuring the freedom to read and, thus, intellectual freedom. The documents here-in discussed are librarians’ primary weapons against encroachment of those rights. Adherence to the ethics, values, and principles expressed in these documents ensures that the First Amendment rights of the citizenry are upheld.
The evidence presented for this competency represent my exploration and understanding of the key principles of those documents as well as other documents put forward by the American Library Association. Furthermore, the evidence documents a progression in my understanding of the topic of censorship as it pertains to intellectual freedom and its nuances when applied in certain types of libraries. As a professional librarian, I look forward to being on the front lines of the fight to maintain intellectual freedom and feel that I am fully equipped to meet head-on any challenges to that right.
References
American Library Association. (1996). Library Bill of Rights. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/
American Library Association. (2004). Core values of librarianship. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/corevalues
American Library Association. (2008). Code of ethics of the American Library Association.Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/proethics/codeofethics/codeethics
American Library Association. (2004). The Freedom to Read Statement. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/freedomreadstatement
American Library Association. (2014). Prisoners’ Right to Read. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ala.org/advocacy/prisoners-right-read
American Library Association. Intellectual Freedom. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom
Marek, K. (2015). Information policy. In S. Hirsch (Ed.), Information services today (pp. 281- 288). Rowman & Littlefield.
Martin v. City of Struthers, 238 S. Ct. (May 3, 1943). Retrieved from http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/319/141.html
Kristin Lehigh 