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Library Bill Of Rights Summary

748 Words3 Pages

I am a bit confused as to David Lee King’s black-or-white interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. Correspondingly, while I sympathize with Meredith Farkas’ very personal connection to this topic, I feel that she is allowing her emotions to color her interpretation. That’s not to say I disagree with her; however, I have a difficult time supporting decisions I see as emotionally-based and not fully vetted from a realistic perspective. In my estimation, the Bill is a described as a “basic policy” that “should” act as a guide for the library’s services. I fail to see where neutrality is compromised by enacting certain guidelines for library use. It seems as if the main point of contention here is article VI of the Library Bill of Rights …show more content…

Unfortunately, that means that some well-intended, more “acceptable” groups will be excluded from using the space as well. Contrary to Donny Osmond’s opinion, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. Neo-Nazism can be classified as a political movement. If the library deems that their public space cannot be used to further political agendas, then the Neo-Nazi’s cannot utilize their space. This also means that any other politically-minded group is barred from organized gatherings within the library. That is a fair and impartial interpretation of the policy. Similarly, I would imagine most policies would prohibit meeting spaces from being used to promote illegal activity. You cannot use the library to teach a class on how to manufacture and distribute crack. That does not strike me as prejudiced, targeted, or at odds with the inclusiveness sought by the Library Bill of rights. A policy is only biased if it is not fairly …show more content…

You can read books, articles, and blogs on as many hateful, dangerous, and downright stupid things as you want. But that does not entitle you to gather as group within any community-oriented location to discuss it. In my mind, this approach preserves neutrality while also placing some controls on the use of the space. Under no circumstance should acquiring knowledge put the scholar in danger. Obviously, I am aware this happens under various conditions the world over, but that does not make it right. Providing unbiased, uncensored access to information benefits everyone regardless of their motives for learning. An individual’s access to the materials they need to learn should not be obstructed; however, I struggle to see how prohibiting certain gatherings from occurring within the confines of the library building is interfering with anyone’s right to access

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652 Words | 3 Pages

Books are an essential way to gain knowledge whether they are controversial or not. Thousands of books have been banned from public libraries and schools due to being deemed ‘inappropriate’ by parents, administrators, or religious leaders. Whether Americans should ban books in public libraries and schools is an often debated topic. This censorship of books is dangerous, as it restricts the American people's’ ability to access information, leaving Americans ignorant. Historically, banning books is not a new practice.

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850 Words | 4 Pages

Spring Lake High School’s librarian, Mrs. Draeger, says, “Spring Lake Schools has balanced material and a wide variety of information with true facts so that students can form their own educated opinion.” This statement is very important because if a student is only ever given one side of the story how are they going to form an opinion. Many school libraries ban books about religion, gender identity, politics, and other controversial topics because they are afraid student will then go and do the things that happen in the books. Spring Lake Public School stated on July Twenty-First, nineteen ninety seven that,“Media centers do not advocate the ideas found in their collections. The presence of a magazine or book in a media center does not indicate an endorsement of its content by the media center.

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261 Words | 2 Pages

The best solution, in this case, would definitely be the first alternative. Using the Library Bill of Rights to argue against the fact that libraries should be exempt from this kind of ruling as it violates the librarians’ intellectual and academic freedom. Librarians similar to college professors in which they should be allowed the same amount of freedom to speak and publish in the areas of their expertise. Vigilance would be the Walker Public Library's best defense for protecting these rights. For starters, the library staff must uphold ALA’s statement, "resisting abuse of governmental power, and to support those against whom such governmental power has been employed”, as they plan to fight for getting their rights back.

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1204 Words | 5 Pages

The article starts by defining intellectual freedom; it also establishes that American libraries are very efficient, and are a prime source for Americans to find information. It then furthers its purpose through establishing to the reader the link between Intellectual Freedom (IF) and Freedom of Speech. The source then gives a basic layout of its argument to the reader in the form of a chart. This helps the reader follow the author’s argument. The first theory that is discussed is the marketplace of ideas theory which states that ideas should be like products and compete with one another until eventually the dominant/best idea wins.

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2238 Words | 9 Pages

In a TIMES magazine article Banned Books: A School Librarian’s Perspective, written by Sharon Coatney, a librarian, Coatney, talks about her past experience with censorship while she worked at a small rural high school. Coatney says that “censorship or banning isn’t a new concept for any library, all of which have certain policies that have to be adhered to while selecting books for their collection” (Coatney, 2000). During her time at the high school, she says that the school’s library was practically a metal box that was locked for security reasons. Part of Coatney’s job as a librarian required her to keep all viewpoints balanced and to know what to do when an individual parent requests that a book from their ‘library’ be banned. “The removal of books didn’t take place often, but when it did it was because the book didn’t meet the criteria of the library policies instituted by the administration” (Coatney, 2000).

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1197 Words | 5 Pages

The Supreme Court has been entrusted with the task of interpreting the Constitution of the United States. In the First Amendment of the Constitution, freedom of speech serves as the foundational liberty which is the cornerstone to the practice of democracy. Commencing at the early part of the twentieth century cases such as Schenck v. United States, Debs v. United States, Abrams v United States, Whitney v. California, and Dennis v. United States, paved the way for the Court to set the legal standard for defining protected and unprotected speech. Nonetheless, the Court has struggled to interpret said boundaries property and has failed to protect speech in some of the above cases. This essay will analyze two different scenarios where the Court

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399 Words | 2 Pages

People can’t ban literature or ideas just because they don’t agree with them. When Mr. Neck says, ‘“I decide who talks in here,”’ he is shutting David down just because he does not agree with him. This story shows how terrible it is to silence somebody for no reason. Banning publications also violates free speech. One parent may not want their kid to read a certain

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1080 Words | 5 Pages

The use of ‘bastions of unbridled inquiry and expression’ (774) creates an image of a fortified and well-defended area that in this case was a safe place to explore possibilities and voice one's opinions. To have in the same sentence ‘..repress free speech as any other institution in young people’s lives’ Immediately takes what may have looked like something promising and turns it into yet another governed establishment that is more interested in total compliance than individual creativity. Speech codes were birthed in the 1980s as the result of ‘political correctness’ melding with the concerns of the somewhat controversial ‘nonfaculty campus administrators.’ Lukianoff’s explanation about why these stringent codes violate the constitutional right to freedom of speech is sharply defined with the phrase ‘...well intended but, outside of the ivory tower…’ (774) Ivory tower meaning a state of seclusion from the facts of the real world.

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728 Words | 3 Pages

It denies individuals of finding out about their general surroundings. Books should not be banned because of what they appear to be. For instance, restricting books are unlawful and not valuable for schools. '' I don't think a school board can wrap its political concerns in the cloak of educational suitability,'' Mr. Levine said (“Book-Banning Arguments are heard ”). The statement is vital in light of the fact that it gives

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709 Words | 3 Pages

“American citizens who care about the improvement of education are urged to join students, teachers, librarians, administrators, boards of education, and professional and scholarly organizations in support of the students’ right to read” (The Students Right to Read). Citizens should be allowed to stand up if they believe books should not be banned. It is important that writers should be able to have their books out to the public without getting banned. “Challengers often employ a definition that maintains that banning materials is the only true form of censorship,”(Knox 740). Censorship of books is common and a real problem.

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709 Words | 3 Pages

“American citizens who care about the improvement of education are urged to join students, teachers, librarians, administrators, boards of education, and professional and scholarly organizations in support of the students’ right to read” (The Students Right to Read). Citizens should be allowed to stand up if they believe books should not be banned. It is important that writers should be able to have their books out to the public without getting banned. “Challengers often employ a definition that maintains that banning materials is the only true form of censorship,”(Knox 740). Censorship of books is common and a real problem.

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1174 Words | 5 Pages

Intro 1: What if your young child is looking through a book at your public library and comes across a topic that was way too mature for their mind set. Would you be okay with it? A big controversial issue that has been going on in the past year is if books should be banned. Now, no one is trying to banish libraries across the globe but people have requested to ban books that are inappropriate. This matter has grown to be worse because everyone has an opinion.

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609 Words | 3 Pages

The First Amendment states, “…abridging the freedom of speech or of press…” When a book is banned, it is denying the freedom of an author to express him or herself and is denying a person the right to access that book. Although banning books is the freedom to express an opinion against the book, it would hurt the author that wrote the book and make them feel inferior. Taken from I Am Very Real written by Kurt Vonnegut, “You have insulted me, and I am a good citizen, and I am very real.” In this, Kurt Vonnegut is showing how when one of his books was banned, how offended and hurt he was by that one action. The people banning the

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472 Words | 2 Pages

Books should not be banned from schools and libraries, everyone should be allowed to be informed on what’s happening in the world and learn about diversity, despite a book having unpopular views. Opponents claim that all books should be monitored and banned if they give off unpopular opinion or can possibly hurt the public. 1.) One

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905 Words | 4 Pages

The idea of free speech on college campuses and the complications of it stem from those on campuses expressing views that don’t align with popular views. Implications for students who use the idea of free speech as a method for hateful actions and comments should be reprimanded, but the question remains as to whether schools should enforce tougher limitations. The freedom of speech on college campus expands to the freedoms of religion, assembly, press, and protest as well. Freedom of expression allows students to show their own political, social, and cultural views. Removing freedoms of speech and expression have consequences deeper than surface issues.

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