IF Post #1

I found a story in the news (article #1, article #2) that brought up the issues of censorship, book removal, and ethics. In sum, libraries in southeast Queensland were forced to pull self-published, apparently 'pornographic' books from their shelves, books that did not pass through their federal classification board (CB) to be classified (I have not seen these books, and therefore cannot comment specifically on their contents). The books were both by Charles Kevin, and contained graphic descriptions of mother-son and brother-sister sex. Kevin shipped his books off to multiple libraries throughout Australia, and apparently at least some institutions accepted them. A library spokeswoman mentioned having to revise policies “to flag self-published books without classifications.” How did they miss these? While reading about this, I wondered if these libraries had any sort of request for reconsideration or review process for those books that were challenged that had passed through the classification board. Also, if the classification board hadn't yet reviewed these books, then who decided they were pornographic (librarians, residents)?

Kevin said he should be free to write these books, and that librarians should monitor who is checking out adult books. I strongly disagree with librarians having to monitor what people are checking out, as librarians should resist censorship. I agree with his right to write what he pleases – but librarians also have the right to choose not to carry his works. Librarians are ethically obligated to provide access to quality resources, materials, and services. This involves thoroughly evaluating and cataloging all material (something that these libraries admitted not doing with Kevin’s books), before making them accessible to patrons.

Hello blog!

I will be posting here more often for the Intellectual Freedom class. I've learned a bit about this issue in a couple of other classes, and am eager to delve deeper into it. Having worked in a public library for quite some time, I was exposed to various aspects of IF, such as book challenges, Internet filters (specifically how often they failed to block adult material), and additional labeling of materials.

I look forward to hearing about everyone else's experiences and viewpoints-this class is going to be super cool.

This picture is from my past job as a Circulation Aide II at the Tippecanoe County Public Library. We kept ourselves busy.