Answer: Freedom of speech does not mean every single person must have everything they believe represented in a public library collection. The patron can still buy whatever they want for their own libraries and obviously, the librarian cannot stop the patron from believing what they believe.
I probably would not
share these resources with irate patrons; they are provided more as discussion-starters and training opportunities for libraries.
 |
| No, You're Not Entitled to Your Opinion |
Resource: Stokes, P. (2012). No, You’re Not Entitled to Your Opinion. The Conversation.
What the resource says
(100 words or fewer): “I’m entitled to my
opinion!” a frustrated patron may assert. But if this is universally accepted
as true, where do librarians stand on the information wars? Should all opinions
be given equal weight, even if the opinion in question is easily disproven by
scientific facts? This article by a philosophy professor discusses this common
assertion and is an interesting starting piece for discussions about accuracy
and neutrality in information literacy. This article catches most readers’
attention because it challenges the notion that “everyone is entitled to their
opinion.”
Memorable
quote from the resource: “But if ‘entitled to an opinion’ means ‘entitled to have
your views treated as serious candidates for the truth’ then it’s pretty
clearly false.”
 |
| Screenshot from WWLD |
What the resource says
(100 words or fewer): Yes, I am recommending
something from my own website. I used my own and friends’ anecdotal experiences,
read articles about reasons books are challenged in libraries, and created a
video of library patrons complaining about LGBTQ+ library books and/or
suggesting alternate books for the library’s collection. How do you deescalate
an angry patron, and how do you politely tell another that you are not interested
in the book self-published by her pastor? I could not resist adding a bit of
humor and snark, but the fact that these dramatized challenges are based on actual
library complaints is not very funny.
Memorable quote from the
resource: “We don’t have books
about how to eat Tide pods or sniff glue, why in the world would we have books
like this to teach children how to be sexually deviant with each other?!” Editor’s
note: I wish I could find the article I read with a similar quote.
 |
| Sceenshot from video |
Resource: MoralCourageChannel
(2017, Sept. 25). Librarian defends LGBT books from being banned [Video].
YouTube.
What the resource says (100
words or fewer): Kristin Pekoll was a young adult librarian in
West Bend, Wisconsin, when at the request of the GSA, she purchased several LGBTQ+-themed
young adult titles for the community library. Several community members
filed complaints against
the library, one legal claim arguing that several elderly patrons “suffered mental
and emotional damage” due to the books’ availability in the library. Pekoll
never considered removing the books, and the library board voted unanimously to
keep the books on the shelves. This book challenge is also discussed in Public
Library Collections in the Balance: Censorship, Inclusivity, and Truth (also
recommended).
Memorable quote from the
resource: “It’s stereotyped that it is conservative parents, but
people don’t want Ann Coulter books or Rush Limbaugh books put in libraries.
That happens by liberal, very educated, thoughtful people.”
Click on the links to continue.
Part 1: Library Bill of Rights
Part 2: Library Collection Policies
Part 3: Should Libraries be Neutral?
Part 4: Intellectual Freedom vs. Hate Speech
Part 5: Patrons and Their Opinions
Part 6: LGBTQ+ Right to Read
No comments:
Post a Comment