[Libs-Or] Tuesday Topic: Oregon Business online magazine: Policy Brief: The Business Case for Protecting Access to Diverse Literature.

Tue Sep 26 13:38:24 PDT 2023

Hi all,

SEPTEMBER 2023

Welcome to Tuesday Topics, a monthly series covering topics with
intellectual freedom implications for libraries of all types. Each message
is prepared by a member of OLA's Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) or a
guest writer. Questions can be directed to the author of the topic or to
the IFC.

Published “IFC Policy Brief” with Oregon Business online magazine

As a library community, the very best steps any one individual or
organization can take to be proactive and protect intellectual freedom is
to stay informed of the issues and advocate for the importance of
protecting rights to information. Perry Stokes, member of the Intellectual
Freedom Committee, demonstrates this community awareness and activism with
the recently published piece in Oregon Business online magazine
<https://oregonbusiness.com/policy-brief-the-business-case-for-protecting-youth-access-to-diverse-literature/>:
Policy Brief: The Business Case for Protecting Access to Diverse Literature.

Please take time to read this article:

Policy Brief: The Business Case for Protecting Youth Access to Diverse
Literature

September 22, 2023, Written by Perry Stokes

In today’s rapidly changing world, the cultivation of critical thinking,
empathy and adaptability is essential for building a future workforce
capable of thriving in an increasingly interconnected business landscape.

Yet American schools and libraries — including those in Oregon — are facing
an intense culture war that jeopardizes this progress. The debate centers
around protecting and serving youth while upholding constitutional rights
and promoting high-quality literature and fresh, independent voices. In
recent years, a political movement has emerged to challenge and cancel
books, displays and events in schools and public libraries ostensibly on
grounds of child welfare and parental rights. Last year the number of
attempts to ban or restrict books in the U.S. reached a 20-year high
<https://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/presskits/surge-book-challenges-press-kit>.
While challenges are lobbed from different political sides
<https://www.newsweek.com/when-it-comes-banning-books-both-right-left-are-guilty-opinion-1696045>,
PEN America reports
<https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/>
that the vast majority of materials targeted for removal feature LGBTQ+
characters and/or characters of color, or they cover sensitive topics like
race, racism, LGBTQ+ identities or sex education. Some groups fueling the
censorship crusade have been associated with extremist organizations
<https://www.vice.com/en/article/z34y8y/new-report-links-rise-in-book-bans-to-anti-lgbtq-groups>
and anti-government groups
<https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4083602-conservative-women-are-embracing-extremism-under-the-guise-of-motherhood/>.
Conservative legislators in various states have enacted measures to make it
easier to restrict access to content and even impose criminal penalties on
library staff. Thankfully, recent federal court rulings have overturned and
blocked censorship attempts in Texas
<https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3931733-texas-judge-orders-banned-books-returned-to-library-shelves/>,
Virginia
<https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2022/08/31/book-ban-virginia-tim-anderson>
and Arkansas
<https://lawandcrime.com/first-amendment/federal-judge-blocks-effort-to-jail-librarians-who-loan-out-harmful-books-to-kids/>,
emphasizing the significant First Amendment protection to which all are
entitled — including minors.

Yet, while the core principles of free expression that define our nation
have strong protection in the legal system, we must not take them for
granted. Proactive awareness, resistance and rejection of censorship are
imperative both for our individual liberty and economic future. In today’s
marketplace, forward-thinking business leaders recognize that a diverse and
inclusive workplace is not just a moral imperative but also a strategic
advantage. Soft skills
<https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/soft-skills-the-competitive-edge>
like teamwork, emotional intelligence and crosscultural understanding are
now reported by Forbes
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2023/02/03/5-pivotal-soft-skills-essential-for-success-in-todays-global-market/?sh=7ec4b27450f0>
to be more valuable to employers than technical expertise alone. Studies
show
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/03/03/harnessing-the-power-of-diversity-for-profitability/?sh=30c8e50f459a>
that companies with diverse teams outperform their competitors financially.

Reading widely and thoughtfully cultivates those invaluable character
traits that are essential for leadership roles
<https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership>. A
study in the journal Reading Research Quarterly (2014) found that students
who read diverse literature were more likely to demonstrate increased
empathy and perspective-taking abilities compared to a control group. The
American Library Association’s report, “Why Diversity Matters,” highlights
the positive impact of varied literature on youth’s cognitive and affective
development and how it fosters empathy, understanding and critical thinking.

A Puritanical restriction
<https://www.newsweek.com/when-it-comes-banning-books-both-right-left-are-guilty-opinion-1696045>
of reading choices
<https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/history-of-book-bans-in-the-united-states>
risks hindering the development of these essential soft skills in students
by instilling fear of reading and of challenging ideas. Literature that
tackles sensitive topics encourages open dialogue and helps students become
well-rounded individuals with the capacity to embrace different viewpoints.
By nurturing empathetic and culturally competent individuals, businesses
ultimately gain
<https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2022/11/03/Why-Soft-Skills-and-DEI.aspx?Page=1>
a labor pool with a deeper understanding of the world, greater flexibility
and adaptability.

Rather than retreating from challenging conversations, a more productive
approach lies in providing diverse reading options. A robust selection of
classic, contemporary, popular and emergent literature allows students to
explore different narratives with guidance from parents and educators,
promoting an appreciation of language and storytelling and a love of
reading, ultimately increasing resilience and competence in their
interactions and relationships. One argument being made is that the
materials being challenged are considered “pornography,” and therefore,
this content is harmful to minors. But that characterization — and reader
maturity — are highly subjective. These are assessments best left to
individuals and their parents — not the government. Societal standards and
norms change over time, often led by artistic expression in the
marketplace.

Just as Elvis’ then-outrageous dancing now looks innocuous, classic books
by writers such as Chaucer, Hemingway, Steinbeck and Vonnegut — that were
once considered scandalous — are today known as important pieces of
literature. And the Constitution requires that works are evaluated on
literary merit as a whole, not merely by provocative passages taken out of
context. Furthermore, respected therapists contend that the moral panic
associated with children and awareness of sexuality is unfounded — and
actually may increase children’s vulnerabilities
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263175821_Innocence_knowledge_and_the_construction_of_childhood_The_contradictory_nature_of_sexuality_and_censorship_in_children's_contemporary_lives>
to exploitation and abuse. For example, denying youth the pursuit of
factual knowledge about their bodies discourages them from seeking
professional and researched materials on the topic, or from discussions
with parents and trustworthy adults. As Bronwyn Davies of the University of
Melbourne has said, “What is dangerous, more than anything else, is the
withholding of knowledge from children — the deliberate construction not of
innocence but of ignorance.”

The battle for youth access to diverse literature in schools and libraries
has profound implications for the future of our workforce and society.

We invite business leaders to join us, along with supporters such as
Parents Defending Schools & Libraries (PDSAL.org <http://www.pdsal.org/>),
to champion the preservation of freedom of expression and advocate for
nurturing a generation of employees equipped with empathy, critical
thinking and adaptability. By protecting the sovereign right to read,
together we can shape a more inclusive and prosperous future.

Perry Stokes is [former] co-chair of the Oregon Library Association
Intellectual Freedom Committee (OLA IFC), a standing committee empowered by
the OLA Board to educate and support the value of intellectual freedom, and
to help provide public oversight of any potential violations of the First
Amendment in Oregon libraries.

-- 
Chair - ifc.chair at olaweb.org
Intellectual Freedom Committee https://www.olaweb.org/if-home
Oregon Library Association https://www.olaweb.org/
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