The Limits of Tolerance Censorship and Intellectual Freedom in Public Libraries

by Curry, Ann; Usherwood, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780810832244
• ISBN10: 0810832240
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-12-30
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Summary

The library controls access to information by the very act of selecting materials, and must, therefore, deal with censorship on a basic level. The author has surveyed a response group of practicing librarians with questions that target some of the toughest questions librarians ever face. Curry's analysis focuses on the factors--personal beliefs, professional ethics, political pressures--that influence responses.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	ix	(2)
List of Graphs	xi	(4)
Foreword	xv	(6)
Bob Usherwood
Acknowledgments	xxi
Chapter 1. Introduction	1	(14)
Background	1	(3)
United Kingdom	2	(1)
Canada	2	(1)
Issues in Common	3	(1)
Library Associations	3	(1)
Choice of Topic	4	(1)
Purpose of Study	5	(1)
Significant Literature and Research	6	(2)
United Kingdom	6	(1)
Canada	7	(1)
United States	7	(1)
Definitions	8	(7)
Censorship	8	(2)
Intellectual Freedom	10	(1)
Pornography and Obscenity	11	(1)
Attitude	12	(3)
Chapter 2. Research Design	15	(8)
Sample Population	15	(1)
Methodology	16	(7)
Grounded Theory	16	(1)
Personal Interviews	17	(1)
Measurement of Attitudes	18	(1)
Limitations of Research Methodology	19	(1)
Limitations of Interviews	20	(1)
Analysis of Interviews	21	(2)
Chapter 3. "Intellectual Freedom": Definitions and Interpretations	23	(6)
Chapter 4. Public Library Roles and Their Relationship to Intellectual Freedom	29	(18)
Maintenance of Intellectual Freedom	30	(3)
Education	33	(3)
Social Change	36	(11)
Chapter 5. Selection and Processing of Material	47	(78)
General Selection Philosophies	47	(23)
High Demand	47	(4)
Power of the Library Committee or Board	51	(4)
Access to Information	55	(3)
Labeling	58	(5)
Community Standards	63	(4)
Portrayal of Homosexuality	67	(3)
Selection of Specific Types of Controversial Material	70	(13)
Gender and Sex	72	(11)
Women Portrayed in Stereotyped Roles	73	(3)
Gay/Lesbian-Oriented Fiction	76	(4)
Soft-Pornography Photographs	80	(3)
Racism	83	(12)
Material Linking Intelligence and Racial Origin	83	(4)
Racial Stereotypes in Fiction	87	(5)
Material Whose Purchase Might Profit Those with Racist Goals	92	(3)
Illegal Acts	95	(7)
Material on the Growing or Manufacture of Drugs	96	(3)
Publications that Advocate Armed Rebellion	99	(3)
Material of Questionable Truth	102	(18)
Material Generally Considered to Be Untrue	103	(2)
Material Critical of Generally Accepted Information about the Holocaust	105	(4)
Material of Debatable Quality	109	(7)
Material that People May Find Repulsive	110	(2)
Popular Material with Little Literary Merit	112	(4)
Conclusions	116	(4)
Additional Factors Affecting Selection Decisions	120	(1)
Official Selection Policies	121	(4)
Chapter 6. Managing Intellecutal Freedom	125	(54)
Complaints about Stock	125	(29)
Pressure to Acquire Material for the Collection	126	(7)
Pressure to Withdraw Material from the Collection	133	(4)
Responses to Complaints from the Public	137	(9)
Pressure from Staff to Acquire or Withdraw Material	146	(3)
Managing "Difficult" People	149	(3)
Verbal or Physical Threats	152	(2)
Meeting Rooms and Display Spaces	154	(16)
Meeting Rooms	155	(6)
Displays and Display Spaces	161	(9)
Implications of Funding on Intellectual Freedom	170	(9)
Funds from Sponsorships	174	(5)
Chapter 7. Support for Directors	179	(22)
Governing Bodies	179	(10)
Library Associations	189	(12)
Chapter 8. The Directors and Intellectual Freedom	201	(44)
Directors' Personal Views about Intellectual Freedom Issues in Society	201	(31)
The Right Not to Be Offended	201	(3)
Market Forces and Access to Information	204	(3)
Influence of Media Conglomerates	207	(4)
Impact of Technology	211	(3)
Right of All Ideas to Be Heard	214	(4)
Legal Restrictions on Violent Pornography	218	(4)
Publicity about Gay and Lesbian Issues	222	(2)
Soft-Core Pornography	224	(4)
Multicultural Harmony	228	(4)
Conflicts between Personal and Professional Beliefs	232	(8)
Personal Political Beliefs	234	(2)
Personal Religious Beliefs	236	(1)
Personal Moral Beliefs	237	(1)
Personal Professional Beliefs	238	(2)
Other Influences on Directors' Attitudes	240	(3)
Directors' Views of Themselves	243	(2)
Chapter 9. Summary	245	(8)
References	253	(12)
Appendixes	265	(12)
A. Interview Schedule	265	(8)
B. Canadian Library Association Bill of Rights	273	(2)
C. The [British] Library Association Policy Statement on Censorship	275	(2)
Index	277	(10)
About the Author	287