OIF Blog

In our era of social networks, online databases, and cloud computing, more and more individuals’ personal information is available online and elsewhere. Personal privacy has emerged as one of the most pressing concerns in libraries and beyond. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom invites you to take up these issues and join with us as we kick off our year long National Conversation on Privacy, an initiative that will culminate in Choose Privacy Week, May 2 – 8, 2010.

This civic engagement campaign calls upon libraries and librarians to stand up as leaders and educators in communities all across the country – calling attention to the value of privacy as the foundation for civil liberties and highlighting growing threats to our privacy rights.

At ALA’s Annual Conference, OIF and the Washington Office invite you to attend an exciting program on these issues. “Privacy in an Era of Change: Privacy and Surveillance Under the New Administration” will feature Mary Ellen Callahan, Chief Privacy Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; David Sobel, Senior Counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? (HarperCollins, 2009).**  The panel will discuss various aspects of privacy, from civil liberties and consumer protection to social networking and security. Please join us on Monday, July 13 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in Room 474, McCormick Place!

**Update: 7/11/09 – Jeff Jarvis will be unable to join us.  In his place will be Craig Wacker, program office for the Digital Media & Learning initiative of the MacArthur Foundation.  Thanks to Craig for filling in on such short notice!

Learn more about privacy and the privacy revolution at these other ALA Annual programs:

• The Secret Life of Our Data: Privacy in the Digital Age (RUSA STARS), Saturday, July 11, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., McCormick Place, Room 474
• Who Cares About Privacy? Boundaries, Millennials and the MySpace Mindset (RUSA MARS), Sunday, July 12, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Sheraton Ballroom II/III
• Libraries and Mobile Devices: Public Policy Considerations (OITP), Sunday, July 12, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m., McCormick Place, Room 192a

Learn how you can join ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom in rallying Americans to choose privacy – protecting the freedom to read, search, and learn in a digital age. Please visit www.privacyrevolution.org to get involved and provide your input as we kick off the conversation! For more information, contact Angela Maycock, Assistant Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, at amaycock@ala.org.

Tags: General Interest, Intellectual Freedom Committee, Midwinter Meeting/Annual Conference, Privacy, Uncategorized by Angela Maycock
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Meet the librarians and community members who are fighting to keep library materials on the shelves in West Bend, Wisconsin!

A special panel sponsored by the the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Freedom to Read Foundation at ALA’s Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois will feature West Bend Community Library director Michael Tyree, young adult librarian Kristin Pekoll, library board president Barbara Deters, former library board member Mary Reilly-Kliss, and community organizer Maria Hanrahan. The panelists will share their unique experience and insights gained in addressing multiple challenges to young adult and GLBT materials in the West Bend Community Library, including a demand to publicly burn (!) Francesca Lia Block’s Young Adult novel, Baby Be-Bop.

The panel, part of the IFC Issues Briefing, will take place on Monday, July 13, at 8:00 a.m. in Room W194a in McCormick Place West convention center. You must be registered for the ALA Annual Conference to attend.

The controversy arose in February 2009 when a West Bend couple filed a request to reconsider books included in the library’s “Out of the Closet” bibliography aimed at youth interested in GLBT issues, as well as books deemed “sexually explicit.” Over the following weeks and months, the couple helped to form a citizens’ group, West Bend Citizens for Safe Libraries, and circulated a petition asking the library to move young adult books to the adult section, label certain material as objectionable, and restrict access to categories of online content. A second citizens’ group, West Bend Parents For Free Speech, was formed to oppose the requested restrictions and to support the library’s existing policies. A third organization, the Christian Civil Liberties Union, eventually filed a widely-reported claim with the City of West Bend that asserted that the library had injured its members by placing the young adult novel, Baby BeBop, in the library’s collection. The group asked for money damages and demanded that Baby Be-Bop be publicly burned “as a deterrent to repeating this offensive conduct.”

In June 2009, the West Bend Community Library Board voted unanimously to retain the challenged books in its YA Zone, “without removing, relocating, labeling, or otherwise restricting access.” The five panelists, all librarians, trustees, and community members directly involved with the challenges, will discuss their experiences and their plans to continue the ongoing work of maintaining unrestricted access to information for everyone in their community.

See also: ALA President Issues Statement Concerning the Library Controversy in West Bend, WI

Office for Intellectual Freedom Letter to the West Bend Common Council

Links:

West Bend Community Library

West Bend Community Library YA Zone

West Bend Parents for Free Speech

Tags: Censorship, Freedom to Read Foundation, Intellectual Freedom Committee, Midwinter Meeting/Annual Conference, Special Events by Deborah Caldwell-Stone
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Come join Cory Doctorow and your friends from the Freedom to Read Foundation at the July 9 performance of Little Brother, a stage version of Doctorow’s award-winning novel. The show, an original production of the Griffin Theatre Company, has gotten some great reviews. It will be performed at the Athenaeum Theatre building in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.

Doctorow will be at the July 9 performance, and will answer questions after the show. Little Brother is an homage to George Orwell’s classic 1984, updated to tackle today’s issues regarding privacy, surveillance, and technology.   It is a nominee for the 2009 Hugo Award for best novel.

Tickets are limited, so email ftrf@ala.org *now* or call (312) 280-4226 to order your ticket. Tickets are $25, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Freedom to Read Foundation. Visa/MasterCard/American Express only.

**See video of Little Brother below!**

Tags: Freedom to Read Foundation, Special Events by Jonathan Kelley
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Have you watched a good video lately? Have you faced a difficult situation in the library that called for ethical decision-making? ALA’s Committee on Professional Ethics invites you to join us for an exciting and interactive program at Annual Conference:

Alice Down the YouTube: Ethical Training in the Online Wonderland

Sunday, July 12, 2009, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., McCormick Place West, Room W-185

We’ll view a variety of YouTube videos that deal with everyday ethical issues in the library and meet the creators of these entertaining and thought-provoking productions. The panel will consider questions such as: What ethical issues are critical for your library and why? What makes YouTube an effective medium for delivering ethical training? How can we best convey the values and ethical expectations of the profession to both new and experienced employees? We look forward to audience participation in a question and answer session after each video as well. Please join us!

Speakers: Michael Denton, King County Library System in Seattle, WA; Dan Conley, Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) at the University at Buffalo; Eric Faden, Associate Professor of English and Film/Media Studies at Bucknell University in Lewisburg Pennsylvania; and Kathy Shields, a recent graduate of the MLIS program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Moderated by Patricia Clark, Reference Archivist at Texas Tech University and member of the Committee on Professional Ethics.

Tags: Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE), Midwinter Meeting/Annual Conference, Uncategorized by Angela Maycock
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The LeRoy C. Merritt Fund has a new Facebook fan page. Just go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leroy-C-Merritt-Humanitarian-Fund/91810073729?ref=mf and become a fan – and encourage your friends to become fans, too! Help us spread the word about this vital resource for librarians in need.

The Leroy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund provides assistance to librarians facing discrimination or defending intellectual freedom. To donate, visit www.merrittfund.org or call (800) 545-2433 x4226.

Tags: LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund, Uncategorized by Jonathan Kelley
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Robert P. Doyle, executive director of the Illinois Library Association (ILA), is the recipient of the 2009 Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) Roll of Honor Award.

Doyle, who is serving his first term on the FTRF Board of Directors, was reelected to a second term in April’s trustee election. He currently serves with 2008 Roll of Honor Award recipient Burt Joseph as co-chair of the FTRF 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee; the 40th anniversary will be celebrated on July 12, 2009 at ALA’s Annual Conference in Chicago.

In addition to his position at ILA, Doyle serves as editor of the Banned Books Resource Guide, a compendium of thousands of books that have been subject to censorship challenges. Prior to joining ILA, Doyle served as director of ALA’s International Relations Office and before that, as deputy director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, under Judith Krug’s leadership.

“I am thrilled to announce Bob Doyle as this year’s Roll of Honor awardee,” said Roll of Honor Committee chair Kent Oliver. “Bob’s reputation as a fierce advocate of intellectual freedom is known throughout the library world. He has successfully shepherded ILA through quite a few legislative attempts to restrict intellectual freedom, and under his leadership, ILA has trained countless librarians on their rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment.”

“Bob’s indefatigable work putting together the 40th Anniversary Gala has been an impressive thing to watch,” said FTRF Acting Executive Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone. “Thanks to him, we will have a truly wonderful evening to celebrate FTRF, the McCormick Freedom Museum and, of course, the life and legacy of our mutual hero Judith Krug.”

The award will be presented at the 2009 ALA Annual Conference during its Opening General Session from 5:30-7 p.m. on Saturday, June July 11, at McCormick Place.

The Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor was established in 1987 to recognize and honor those individuals who have contributed substantially to FTRF through adherence to its principles and/or substantial monetary support. FTRF was founded in 1969 to promote and defend the right of individuals to freely express ideas and to access information in libraries and elsewhere. FTRF fulfills its mission through the disbursement of grants to individuals and groups, primarily for the purpose of aiding them in litigation, and through direct participation in litigation dealing with freedom of speech and of the press.

Tags: Freedom to Read Foundation by admin
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Please note that the Merritt Fund Reception for a Cause – to be held Monday, July 13th, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm – will now be in the Du Sable Suite (Room 2567), rather than the North Imperial Suite.

Hope to see you all there!

Tags: LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund by admin
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So often in library land the only IF stories we hear of are the long drawn out battles in library boards, school boards, city councils and the courts. Here’s an uplifting story sent in this week by a reader. It’s just one of those seemingly small battles which when taken with all of the other unknown victories is the reason why we still have the freedom to read in this county.

Last week Gail Robinson director of the Bridgeton Public Library, Bridgeton, N. J. received a “subpoena” from the state police seeking the borrowing records for a particular book. The specific book is actually unimportant as you will see. Gail, having attended several workshops given by the New Jersey Library Association, was well aware of New Jersey’s confidentiality statue. It requires a “subpoena issued by a court, or a court order.” After insisting on reading (great idea!) the “subpoena,” guess what? There was no indication that a judge or magistrate had been anywhere near it.

So, Gail took it over to the court house to have it checked out. The assistant prosecutor told her there was nothing wrong with the subpoena and that it would be some time before a judge would be available. When Gail offered to come back later, she was told that she couldn’t leave. No explanation.

She sat down and prepared to wait (as Gail said later, librarians should always have a book with them). When the prosecutor realized Gail wasn’t going to wilt, he quickly found a judge. The judge signed the subpoena making it conform to NJ law and the information was eventually provided — after consultation, of course, with the Library’s attorney, Ms Grayson Barber.

A seemingly small incident that could have blown up into something really big, if Gail hadn’t first, been knowledgeable and second, followed the rules — along the way getting law enforcement to follow them too, too their ultimate benefit. Way to go, Gail.

As for the original reason, apparently a library patron had found a “disturbing” photo inside the book in question and had taken the book with the photo to the police. When responding to the subpoena Gail included a note indicating that the book had been stored on an open shelf so that literally anyone could have had access to it. The borrowing records would prove nothing.

Thanks to Grayson Barber for bringing this story to my attention and once again many thanks to Gail for “doing the right thing.”

Tags: Intellectual Freedom Issues, Privacy by Doug Archer
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OK, you ask, how’s he going to connect intellectual freedom and torture? Seems a bit of a stretch. Easy. Here’s how.

Intellectual freedom is concerned with the freedom of folks to access what ever information they wish without government limitation or intimidation. In order to ensure that folks are not encouraged to censor themselves we insist (and courts have held) that what we access is our own business and no one else’s — unless there is evidence linking us specifically to a crime (probable cause). OK, OK there is the little matter of the USA PATRIOT Act and NSLs but we’re working on that.

If we are concerned about the records of peoples’ reading habits being confidential, then we sure as heck should be concerned about the rights of people to think and believe what they want without fear of having it tortured out of them.

The fact that we as a society could even be having a public debate about the acceptability of “enhanced interrogation techniques” says something profound about how far our ethical base has eroded. Let’s be clear. Though I have no doubt that during many previous national crises some folks have stooped to torture, it has never, never been consciously accepted public policy to do so. In fact we have been in the forefront of international efforts to outlaw the very behavior now being justified as expedient. For example, after WWII we charged, tried, convicted and sentence at least one Japanese officer to 15 years at hard labor for waterboarding.

If folks can get away with justifying even just a little bit of torture, how much protection do you think will be left for reader privacy? If we can legally beat information out of someone, what’s wrong with a few subpoenas? Heck, why bother with a court order. Just let the government seize anything it wants when it wants it. It’s way past time for the average citizen to wake up and say enough, “have you no decency!”

Tags: General Interest, Intellectual Freedom Issues, Privacy by Doug Archer
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One of the advantages I’ve discovered as a guest blogger is the relative freedom to ride ones own hobby horse. Well, I have a favorite for today. Banned Books Week (BBW). Or, more accurately, the people who complain that BBW is inaccurate, that the name is at best disingenuous and and at worse downright dishonest.

The argument goes thusly. Most books on the annual ALA list of banned and challenged books were “only” challenged, never banned. Even if some were removed from libraries, they are still available for purchase in book stores. Therefore, censorship hasn’t really happened because the government hasn’t banned the books.

Sounds to me as if these folks are second cousins to the young man who gave new meaning to the word chutzpah. When charged with murdering his parents he asked for leniency because he was an orphan! Chutzpah! Hey, since folks were unsuccessful in their efforts to get these books banned, you can’t use them as examples of the threat of censorship. We failed therefore you’re being dishonest. Chutzpah!

Run that by me again? Just because libraries and librarians have been so good at defending the freedom of the public to read as they choose, means that we’re being dishonest? No, it just means were doing our job.

As for whether removing books from libraries is censorship or not, public and school libraries are government bodies. If they buckle under to challenges and remove books from the shelves, they remove those books from the reach of the average citizen. If censorship involves the government restricting access to information, they are most certainly engaged in censorship.

As for still being available for purchase, that is true for most of the books in our libraries. If you follow that line of logic, we might as well close up shop. There would be no reason to have a public library. You want a book; go buy it.

So, in a few months when Banned Books Week rolls around and someone challenges it for being misleading, gently point out the error of their logic. Or just shout Chutzpa and let them figure it out.

Tags: Banned Books Week, Intellectual Freedom Issues by Doug Archer
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