Censorship on library listservs

[Gordon Riley <Gordon_Riley@MERCERSBURG.EDU>]

I wrote the following article for School Library Journal last June, but it =
was not published because the Dr. Laura controversy had gotten old by =
then.  It is not about her so much as it is about how we respond to =
issues.  I had a specific word limit, so it is not as detailed as I might =
have liked, but I decided to put it on the listservs in the form that I =
would have had it published.  I wanted to wait until the majority of our =
subscribers in school libraries were back to work, not because I was =
waiting to see if my prediction about a law requiring school libraries to =
install filtering software would come true.

WHOSE LISTSERV IS IT ANYWAY?

I had never heard of Dr. Laura until I ignored a flash of postings about =
her on the PUBLIB listserv.   An electronic mailing list of mainly public =
librarians was discussing a radio psychobabble-talkshowhost's attack on =
ALA for linking to a university site containing graphic sexual information =
for teens.  After the first day I deleted all the messages based on their =
subject lines, because I wasn't much interested in this new permutation of =
an endlessly unsolvable topic.  Until a posting on LM_NET, a list =
exclusively for school librarians, drew my attention.  It reported that =
Dr. Laura had been involved in getting money pledged for the benefit of =
children to be withdrawn, as part of a broader 3-part attack on ALA.  An =
interesting discussion arose, but was quickly cut short when the moderator =
of the listserv posted a pair of edicts which stated that the Dr. Laura =
controversy was not relevant to school libraries and that henceforth =
anyone who attempted to post a message on the forbidden topic would suffer =
the 21st century equivalent of having their tongues cut off, would be =
banned from posting to the list.  As a previous critic of the moderator, I =
was promptly censored for arguing that the issue was an important topic =
for discussion.  Peter Milbury, whose sole qualification for holding the =
important post of moderator is that he started the dang thing before most =
of us had email, insisted that he was justified in banning me "due to the =
continued postings on Dr. L. which were not on target."

The idea that Dr. Laura's attack on ALA has no bearing on school libraries =
is absurd for at least 3 major reasons.  Her big complaint is ALA's =
position against filtering software.  In my last school in North Carolina =
there was no hotter issue in the Technology Committee than the fact that =
we did not have it.  To knuckle under and install Net Nanny to the =
detriment of my kids' educations would have been a real easy thing for me =
to do.  Moreover, a bill was introduced in Congress that would have =
required me to do so.  Although the bill did not have sufficient support =
to pass in that form at that time, direct political pressure such as is =
being applied by Dr. Laura ensures that another such bill will be =
considered soon, perhaps as a national election issue.  Every day that Dr. =
L's tirade continues, every mention she makes of it, makes it that much =
more likely that principals and school board members are going to have =
their attention drawn to the associated issues.

The second reason has to do with her attack on Columbia University's Go =
Ask Alice site.  It is not that she is attacking this site, but that she =
is attacking it because it gives accurate, honest information for teens =
about sexuality issues.  Is it such a great leap to think that books =
dealing with this kind of topic might be next to draw fire on the Dr. =
Laura show?  These two issues, filtering software and sexuality information=
, are crucial, everyday issues for those responsible for running school =
libraries, therefore public opinion and those trying to manipulate opinion =
are relevant.

The third reason has to do with the idea of teaching about libraries.  =
Have school librarians so bailed on this concept that the idea of =
informing teachers about potential classroom issues related to libraries =
is not even considered, even when they are national issues about constituti=
onal questions related directly to kids?  Is there no possibility =
whatsoever that a school librarian somewhere might want to talk to the =
students about this during library period?

Dr. L is promoting the general idea that public libraries are bad places =
for kids.  If so, this would mean an entirely different role for the =
school library, not being able to depend on the resources of the public =
library to supplement the collection.  Generally and specifically, there =
is no question that this bears directly on school libraries.  Even if =
relevance was not so obvious, should discussion of a particular topic be =
banned in a librarians' discussion?  Is it not one of the guiding =
principals of our profession providing access to information?  It is for =
the user to decide what information is relevant to him, and what to ignore =
or delete.

The only even halfway logical argument that can be made is that this =
situation doesn't have a direct bearing on school libraries YET.  Except =
perhaps for what it shows us about ourselves.  Librarians talk a good game =
about free speech and how spirited debate leads to intelligent solutions, =
but do we really believe and practice it?  The moderators of PUBLIB and =
LM_NET have both expressed to me that they are more concerned with seeing =
that people are not insulted and offended.  They say it is important to =
suppress flamers, which is Net lingo for people who seem to delight in =
making personal attacks on those with whom they disagree.  They claim that =
it is their duty to suppress these discussions by prior restraint, that =
is, before they lead to flames.  Yet I must argue that an adapted truism =
is closer to the ideals that I would expect librarians to support.  There =
should be something on my listserv to offend anybody.


Gordon Riley
Electronic Resources Librarian
Mercersburg Academy
Mercersburg, PA
Gordon_riley@mercersburg.edu
The opinions expressed are my own!

"It's all about sincerity.  Once you can fake that, you've got it made."  =
Former NFL Head Coach Monte Clark.

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