[Libs-Or] OLA Quarterly Debacle: Defending Macias, McNeil and Anderson

[Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney]

I think it's good to have discussions and tread carefully, but I also think questioning an article's inclusion in a specific issue of a specific journal is well within the realm of reasonable discourse, rather than requiring an immediate leap to cries of book-burning.

Putting it on simple terms: I have certainly received my share of rejection letters for poetry and articles I've submitted to a wide variety of publications. My work has been rejected for a wide variety of reasons -- poor quality, not a good fit with the editorial intent of the issue, too similar to another article already submitted, sometimes with no reason given at all beyond "thanks but no thanks." I don't think that I was the victim of censorship in any of those situations.

I would say that Max and others are well within their rights to question what the editorial intent of the EDI issue of OLAQ was, and whether the article in question served the stated purpose of showcasing initiatives in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Raising these questions is part of a robust examination of libraries' role in creating an equitable environment. It's also within the rights of others to argue for the inclusion of articles that present a contrary or lukewarm view.

I am disappointed that at least one person chose to use the mechanism of the Libs-OR rules of conduct to rebuke or silence Mr. Macias. It's unfortunately similar to the way other platforms such as Facebook have enforced policies against "hate speech" in inequitable ways to silence the voices of people of color, while protecting the voices of white supremacy.

Please note that I am speaking for myself here, not in my official capacity as IFC co-chair.

[dwsquare2]

Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney
LIBRARY DIRECTOR
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
__

City of Lincoln City  |  Driftwood Public Library
801 SW Hwy 101 Ste 201  |  Lincoln City, OR
P: 541.996-1251
E: kbrodbeck-kenney at lincolncity.org  | W: driftwoodlib.org

From: Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces at listsmart.osl.state.or.us> On Behalf Of Tony Greiner
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2019 5:36 PM
To: libs-or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: [Libs-Or] OLA Quarterly Debacle: Defending Macias, McNeil and Anderson

The point is freedom to read, which means freedom of expression.  I was disappointed in the shaming of Heather McNeil, and wish that those who disliked her piece could have expressed an opposition to her ideas, rather than her right to express them.

But all of these writers have the right to contribute their ideas to this discussion. Silencing diverse opinions helps no one. It smacks of book-burning, fascism, and Orwell.

As librarians, we should rally behind the freedom of expression and the freedom to read. To fail to do so is to abandon any claim of integrity for our profession.

**tony_greiner at hotmail.com**<mailto:**tony_greiner at hotmail.com**>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20191114/0950396f/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 4429 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20191114/0950396f/attachment.png>