<div dir="ltr"><div>Members of the Oregon Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee are going to try to talk to people closer to this situation in order to find out more about the controversy and where it currently stands, and what, if any, response from the association might be useful. If we learn any additional information, we will share it.<br></div><div><br></div><div>This does not, of course, preclude any individual members of the library community from responding in whatever way they feel is appropriate.</div><div><br></div><div>Thank you, Dale, for sharing the editorial that you wrote. </div><div><br></div><div>If anyone has questions about the work of the Intellectual Freedom Committee, related to this issue or anything else, please feel free to contact either me or my fellow co-chair, Krista Reynolds. Our contact information is available on the committee's webpage: <a href="http://www.olaweb.org/intellectual-freedom-about-us" target="_blank">http://www.olaweb.org/<wbr>intellectual-freedom-about-us</a>.<wbr> </div><div><br></div><div>-Ross</div><div><br></div><div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:arial;font-size:12.8px"><b>Ross Betzer</b></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:arial;font-size:12.8px">Co-chair, Oregon Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee</div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:arial;font-size:12.8px">Information Services Librarian, Multnomah County Library</div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:arial;font-size:12.8px"><a href="mailto:rossbk@multcolib.org">rossbk@multcolib.org</a></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:arial;font-size:12.8px">503.988.5728</div></div><div class="gmail_extra">
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Aug 11, 2016 at 12:17 AM, Dale Vidmar <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:vidmar@sou.edu" target="_blank">vidmar@sou.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">This was my post to the Ashland Daily Tidings:</font><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><p style="margin:0px 0px 1em;color:rgb(29,33,41);line-height:18.76px"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">As a professor and librarian with a Master's degree in library science, I would like to point out that what OSF Executive Director Cynthia Rider and others have<span style="display:inline"> done by initiating a boycott of the Shakespeare Books & Antiques bookstore is censorship.</span></font></p><div style="display:inline"><p style="color:rgb(29,33,41);line-height:18.76px;margin:0px 0px 1em"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Censorship is defined on the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom and Censorship page as follows: </font></p><p style="color:rgb(29,33,41);line-height:18.76px;margin:0px 0px 1em"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><i>"Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that certain persons—individuals, groups or government officials—find objectionable or dangerous. It is no more complicated than someone saying, 'Don’t let anyone read this book, or buy that magazine, or view that film, because I object to it!' Censors try to use the power of the state to impose their view of what is truthful and appropriate, or offensive and objectionable, on everyone else. Censors pressure public institutions, like libraries, to suppress and remove from public access information they judge inappropriate or dangerous, so that no one else has the chance to read or view the material and make up their own minds about it. The censor wants to prejudge materials for everyone."</i></font></p><p style="color:rgb(29,33,41);line-height:18.76px;margin:0px 0px 1em"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Banned books displays are vehicles by which libraries, bookstores, and other entities point out materials that have been challenged in the past for the edification of others. It is not much different than a Shakespeare play that challenges an audience's sensibilities when using a female in a typically male role. A banned books display is not a shrine for the best of human behavior. It is a display that begs us to ask, "Why?"</font></p><p style="color:rgb(29,33,41);line-height:18.76px;margin:0px 0px 1em"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">OSF led by Cynthia Rider, Bill Rauch, and some individuals who feel offended by a censorship display really need to ask themselves, "Why?" To question the display is a good thing because it creates the dialog. To seek censorship is wrong.</font></p><p style="color:rgb(29,33,41);line-height:18.76px;margin:0px 0px 1em"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">```````````````</font></p><p style="color:rgb(29,33,41);line-height:18.76px;margin:0px 0px 1em;font-family:inherit">The post was in response to the following article and other information on this matter: </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 1em"><font color="#1d2129"><span style="line-height:18.76px"><a href="http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160805/OPINION/160809892" target="_blank">http://www.dailytidings.com/ar<wbr>ticle/20160805/OPINION/1608098<wbr>92</a></span></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Dale Vidmar</div><div><br></div><div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<wbr>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>Dale Vidmar<br>Professor<br>Information Literacy and Instruction Librarian/Distance Education Coordinator/<br>Education, Communication, Nursing, Health, Physical Education, & Leadership Librarian</div><div>Digital Media Gallery Venue Coordinator<br>Hannon Library</div>
<div>1250 Siskiyou Blvd.<br>Ashland, OR 97520<br>541-552-6842<br><a href="mailto:vidmar@sou.edu" target="_blank">vidmar@sou.edu</a> <br><a href="http://hanlib.sou.edu/dale" target="_blank">http://hanlib.sou.edu/dale</a><br><br>"Anything that I ever did that was ultimately worthwhile, <br>initially scared me to death."<br>- Betty Bender</div>
<div>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<wbr>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div>On Wed, Aug 10, 2016 at 2:15 PM, Tony <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:tony_greiner@hotmail.com" target="_blank">tony_greiner@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div>
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<p>The situation in Ashland calls for more than a theoretical response.</p>
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<p>According to the ALA's Freedom to Read statement, items 6 is directly germane for library action in this case.</p>
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<p><em>6. It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of the people's freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom</em> [freedom to read]
<em>by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.</em></p>
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<p>This doesn't say libraries and librarians will only resist censorship of library materials. <em><br>
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<p><em></em>Tony Greiner, Portland Community College Library<br>
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<div>Primo and Alma: Making WorldCat Local Look Good</div>
**<a href="mailto:tony_greiner@hotmail.com" target="_blank">tony_greiner@hotmail.com</a>** </div>
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