Yesterday I was alerted to a blog post from a library school student in New York who is under the impression that the library and its staff willingly removed access to the Joy of Gay Sex and the New Joy of Sex.
I think it should be stated that the library on the whole believes in and supports intellectual freedom! Our collection Development policy (oddly enough, recently reviewed and revised by the board last fall) and other library policies support the rights of all to access materials in the library. Our in-services and new employee training emphasize intellectual freedom as a key component to working at the library. Intellectual freedom questions abound in the interview process.
In Idaho, library trustees are not an advisory committee but a ruling entity. They are appointed by the Mayor of the city in which the library exists. So, in many ways, they are not immune from the political positioning and agendas of the elected officers of the city despite the Idaho State Code (Title 33 Chapter 26) indicating that they should be free from partisan interests. It is tragic that some of our trustees do not believe in representing all of the public. I am very proud of our trustees who voted to support intellectual freedom at our library--Barry and Rosie! Perhaps trustees need to participate in the interview process our employees must undergo before they are accepted as trustees. Perhaps the law needs to be changed so that trustees are elected or that the board acts in an advisory capacity only.
I want to send a shout out to the bloggers who support us: and many others including some news agencies, the Idaho Library Association and the American Library Association.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
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