OIF Blog

ALA’s Code of Ethics will be 70 years old in 2009. In anticipation of this important anniversary, the Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) sponsored programs at the annual conferences from 2004 to 2006 to explore the need for revising the Code in light of new association policies and issues facing the profession. Based on the comments received at these programs, the Committee reviewed each article of Code and is proposing changes in Articles III, IV, and V.

COPE is now seeking comments on the proposed changes for its discussion at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.

To review the proposed changes, visit

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/ifgroups/cope/copeinaction/changestocode.htm

Please send comments on the proposed changes to the Code of Ethics prior to the Midwinter Meeting to Judith F. Krug, director, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (phone: 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4222; fax: 312-280-4227; e-mail: jkrug@ala.org, cc: dstone@ala.org ). Written comments also may be left during the Midwinter Meeting at OIF’s table in the ALA Office Area in the Philadelphia Convention Center until noon on Sunday, January 13.

COPE will hold an open hearing at the Midwinter Meeting to discuss the proposed changes to the Code of Ethics. The Open Hearing will take place on Sunday, January 13, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm in the Philadelphia Ritz Carlton Hotel’s Petite Ballroom.

Tags: Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) by Deborah Caldwell-Stone
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Event will take place in conjunction with ALA Midwinter Meeting

Event: Anthony Lewis on the First Amendment
Date: Monday, January 14, 2008
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: National Constitution Center, Grand Hall Overlook
525 Arch Street, Independence Mall
Philadelphia, PA

Admission: $12 Constitution Center and Freedom to Read Foundation members, $15 non-members, $6 K-12 students and teachers. Reservations Required.
Contact: 215-409-6700
Email: programs@constitutioncenter.org

FTRF members are invited to meet Anthony Lewis and Chris Finan at a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. Call (800) 545-2433, Ext. 4226 or email ftrf@ala.org to RSVP for the reception.

The Freedom to Read Foundation, in cooperation with the National Constitution Center, proudly presents an evening with Anthony Lewis on Jan. 14, in conjunction with the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. Mr. Lewis is one of the country’s preeminent First Amendment experts and the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes. Serving as moderator for the discussion will be Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, a member of the FTRF Board of Trustees and a First Amendment expert in his own right.

Following the program, Lewis and Finan will sign copies of their most recent books. Mr. Lewis’ book, Freedom for the Thought We Hate, has been hailed as “a stirring account of America’s evolving idea of liberty” by Publisher’s Weekly. A columnist for the New York Times op-ed page from 1969 through 2001, Mr. Lewis has been the James Madison Visiting Professor at Columbia University since 1983. His previous books are Gideon’s Trumpet, Portrait of a Decade and Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the First Amendment.

Mr. Finan’s latest book, From the Palmer Raids to the PATRIOT Act: A History of the Fight for Free Speech in America, was highly praised by critics. Library Journal said it “[c]ould be the definitive study of a perpetually complex, contentious issue.” Both books will be sold courtesy of Joseph Fox Bookshop.

We hope you’ll be able to join us at this beautiful facility for this terrific event.

Tags: Freedom to Read Foundation by Jonathan Kelley
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This fall, a parent filed a challenge with the Kanawa County, WV school board, asking the board to remove two Pat Conroy novels, The Prince of Tides and Beach Music, from Nitro High School’s Advanced Placement English curriculum. The Kanawha County school board members are now considering a policy that would require adding advisory ratings to books used in the classroom as a means of addressing debates over controversial texts.

Today, the Office for Intellectual Freedom and five other organizations committed to defending intellectual freedom sent a letter to the editor of the Charleston Gazette, pointing out the problems with instituting a ratings system for books and encouraging the Kanawa County school board to retain its current book policies:

To the Editors:

Kanawha County School Board may have already violated the First Amendment rights of its students and their parents by banning Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides and Beach Music. The board’s recent proposal to adopt a rating system for books compounds the problem. Such a system would impose impractical and arbitrary standards for selecting educational materials and create a chilling effect limiting what students read.

Single-letter ratings, such as the board proposes, are inherently reductive and subjective. Novels and other complex materials can’t be described by a letter, and it would be impossible to ensure that materials are rated consistently. For example, does a single instance of profanity warrant an “L” (for “language) rating, or is it 10 instances, or 100? Would the violence in the Bible or Shakespeare require a “V” label? What would be the criteria for labeling something “mature” content?

The effort to apply ratings will inevitably place an overwhelming burden on schools and educators. Even deciding who would do the rating raises problems. There is no way to ensure that different individuals will judge things the same way. Moreover, such a policy would leave the district vulnerable to multiple, possibly conflicting objections to how material is rated, and make the district vulnerable to continuing controversies and potentially even legal challenges.

The current policy is more than sufficient. Parents who object to a particular book may request an alternative assignment. Instead of rating books, the school board should encourage teachers to explain to parents how and why they select certain materials and what educational purposes these materials serve for their children. Focusing on the educational criteria for curricular selections would provide a meaningful, sound and defensible way to evaluate books.

Joan Bertin, Executive Director, National Coalition Against Censorship

Chris Finan, President, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression

Kent Williamson, National Council of Teachers of English

Judith Platt, Director, Freedom to Read, Association of American Publishers

Larry Siems, PEN American Center

Judith Krug, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association

Tags: Intellectual Freedom Issues by Deborah Caldwell-Stone
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Within the past week, numerous media outlets have reported challenges to author Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass both here in the United States and in Canada. OIF has received reports of other challenges to The Golden Compass as well.

Today, ALA President Loriene Roy responded to attempts to remove The Golden Compass from libraries and schools:

“This week, the movie, The Golden Compass, based on the first book in Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy entitled His Dark Materials, will debut in theatres across the United States. The movie has triggered a boycott campaign sponsored by conservative religious organizations that believe the movie and the books are an attack on Christianity and the Catholic Church. The groups are urging parents not to see the movie or purchase the books.

“The call to boycott the filmed version of The Golden Compass has inspired a parallel effort to remove the novel and its companion volumes from libraries and schools. Much like efforts to ban the Harry Potter books, fear and misinformation are driving the effort to deprive students and library users access to Pullman’s critically praised books, which are recommended by both religious and secular critics.

“It is one thing to disagree with the content of a book or the viewpoint of an author; it is quite another thing to block access to that material because of that disagreement. Removing a book from a school or library because the author is an atheist, or because a religious group disagrees with the book’s viewpoint, is censorship that runs counter to our most cherished freedoms and our history as a nation that celebrates and protects religious diversity.

“We encourage librarians, teachers and parents to resist the call to censorship. Censorship results in the opposite of true education and learning. Young people will only develop the skills they need to analyze information and make choices among a wide variety of competing sources if they are permitted to read books and explore ideas under the guidance of caring adults.

“We realize, of course, that not every book is for everyone. Parents know their children best and should guide their children’s reading. If parents think a particular book is not suitable for their child, they should guide their child to other books. But they should not impose their beliefs on other people’s children.

“By resisting the call to censor and boycott The Golden Compass, we send the message to young people that in this country they have the right to choose what they will read and that they will be expected to develop the ability to think critically about what they read, rather than allowing others to do their thinking for them.”

Tags: Freedom to Read Foundation by Deborah Caldwell-Stone
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