Gen: Framing the discussion

[Harry Willems <harryw@MIDUSA.NET>]

I've lurked behind the landscape watching and listening to the discussion
thread concerning Dr. Laura and ALA.  I've heard reasoned statements about
the issue of censorship and the connection as it filters into the school
library domain.  I've also heard a lot of "jr. high justice".

Censorship effects all school librarians and libraries.  I've worked with
several school libraries when they've had books challenged.  This is the
issues on which we should frame the discussion.  The fall out from Dr.
Laura will ignite passions that spread to high school collections, and
filtered/unfiltered Internet access.  Filters are assumed to provide all
necessary protection to kids, but teach them nothing about responsibility
after school, and unfiltered access in the business world and college
campuses.  School mission statements usually refer to preparing students
for civic responsibility, but tethering them artificially to "good
information" in electronic or print format, does little to make the kind of
citizens the world will need in the 21th century.  Lest anyone should think
that I mean unreasoned collection development, I don't.  But allowing small
segments of the population to dictate what is, and what isn't family
friendly, smacks of disintegration of freedom.  We all know that if freedom
disintegrates slowly enough, most won't notice or even care.

My conservative Mennonite reaction is to encourage changing the world one
person at a time, like the "Good Book" commands.  Let libraries serve all
who pay taxes to support the library, and school district.  The easy way
out is to censor.

Harry Willems


Harry Willems                   http://www.sekls.lib.ks.us/staff/willems
Consultant, Assistant Dir.
Southeast Kansas Library System
Iola, KS  66749         Fax: 316.365.5137       Vox: 316.365.5136

“We die only when we run out of footprints.
Then the biographers move in to retrace our paths,
enclosing them all in tall mazes of lumber
to make our lives seem more complex, more arduous,
to make our leaving the room seem heroic.”  --Billy Collins



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