[Libs-Or] Attempts to censor bookstore display in Ashland.

[Ross Betzer]

Members of the Oregon Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee
are going to try to talk to people closer to this situation in order to
find out more about the controversy and where it currently stands, and
what, if any, response from the association might be useful. If we learn
any additional information, we will share it.

This does not, of course, preclude any individual members of the library
community from responding in whatever way they feel is appropriate.

Thank you, Dale, for sharing the editorial that you wrote.

If anyone has questions about the work of the Intellectual Freedom
Committee, related to this issue or anything else, please feel free to
contact either me or my fellow co-chair, Krista Reynolds. Our contact
information is available on the committee's webpage: http://www.olaweb.org/
intellectual-freedom-about-us.

-Ross

*Ross Betzer*
Co-chair, Oregon Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee
Information Services Librarian, Multnomah County Library
rossbk at multcolib.org
503.988.5728

On Thu, Aug 11, 2016 at 12:17 AM, Dale Vidmar <vidmar at sou.edu> wrote:

> This was my post to the Ashland Daily Tidings:
>
> As a professor and librarian with a Master's degree in library science, I
> would like to point out that what OSF Executive Director Cynthia Rider and
> others have done by initiating a boycott of the Shakespeare Books &
> Antiques bookstore is censorship.
>
> Censorship is defined on the American Library Association's Intellectual
> Freedom and Censorship page as follows:
>
> *"Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that certain
> persons—individuals, groups or government officials—find objectionable or
> dangerous. It is no more complicated than someone saying, 'Don’t let anyone
> read this book, or buy that magazine, or view that film, because I object
> to it!' Censors try to use the power of the state to impose their view of
> what is truthful and appropriate, or offensive and objectionable, on
> everyone else. Censors pressure public institutions, like libraries, to
> suppress and remove from public access information they judge inappropriate
> or dangerous, so that no one else has the chance to read or view the
> material and make up their own minds about it. The censor wants to prejudge
> materials for everyone."*
>
> Banned books displays are vehicles by which libraries, bookstores, and
> other entities point out materials that have been challenged in the past
> for the edification of others. It is not much different than a Shakespeare
> play that challenges an audience's sensibilities when using a female in a
> typically male role. A banned books display is not a shrine for the best of
> human behavior. It is a display that begs us to ask, "Why?"
>
> OSF led by Cynthia Rider, Bill Rauch, and some individuals who feel
> offended by a censorship display really need to ask themselves, "Why?" To
> question the display is a good thing because it creates the dialog. To seek
> censorship is wrong.
>
> ```````````````
>
> The post was in response to the following article and other information on
> this matter:
>
> http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160805/OPINION/160809892
>
> Dale Vidmar
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Dale Vidmar
> Professor
> Information Literacy and Instruction Librarian/Distance Education
> Coordinator/
> Education, Communication, Nursing, Health, Physical Education, &
> Leadership Librarian
> Digital Media Gallery Venue Coordinator
> Hannon Library
> 1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
> Ashland, OR 97520
> 541-552-6842
> vidmar at sou.edu
> http://hanlib.sou.edu/dale
>
> "Anything that I ever did that was ultimately worthwhile,
> initially scared me to death."
> - Betty Bender
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> On Wed, Aug 10, 2016 at 2:15 PM, Tony <tony_greiner at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The situation in Ashland calls for more than a theoretical response.
>>
>>
>> According to the ALA's Freedom to Read statement, items 6 is directly
>> germane for library action in this case.
>>
>>
>> *6. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians
>> of the people's freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom*
>> [freedom to read] *by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own
>> standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government
>> whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.*
>>
>>
>> This doesn't say libraries and librarians will only resist censorship of
>> library materials.
>>
>>
>> Tony Greiner, Portland Community College Library
>>
>>
>> Primo and Alma: Making WorldCat Local Look Good
>> **tony_greiner at hotmail.com**
>>
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>
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>
>
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