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<p class="MsoNormal">Mark,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you very much for your input on this. As a new librarian, both in my career and in Oregon, I’m still trying to find my feet in terms of how to broach subjects like this with my admin and coworkers. It is intensely frustrating to run
into the wall of “neutrality,” especially when it’s brought up in the context of books like “Irreversible Damage.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I feel that in our efforts to remain neutral we’ve lost sight of what that means, or else it’s become skewed, especially in recent years. The fact is that for many things, there
<i>aren’t</i> two sides—at least not two sides of equal merit. See also the recent controversies over Andy Ngo’s book,
<i>Unmasked</i>, which has been proven to be full of false information. To stock this book would be irresponsible not only because of it being inaccurate, but because it gives the illusion that Ngo’s misinformation is as legitimate as fact. To be neutral doesn’t
mean treating all information as equal, but rather it means evaluating it critically and without bias. Ngo isn’t presenting a different perspective on a single issue; he’s pushing misinformation, which has very real world consequences, and should not stand
up to the critical eye of a collection development librarian.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Both Ngo and Shrier’s work are similarly dangerous in that way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces@omls.oregon.gov> <b>On Behalf Of
</b>Mark Kille via Libs-Or<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, February 23, 2021 10:37 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Steve Silver <stevesilver673@gmail.com><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Libs-OR <libs-or@omls.oregon.gov><br>
<b>Subject:</b> EXTERNAL: Re: [Libs-Or] February 2021 Tuesday Topic: Collection Development and harmful literature<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p><span style="color:red;background:white">[<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">NOTICE:</span></strong> This message originated outside of Tillamook County --
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">DO NOT CLICK </span></strong>on <strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">links</span></strong> or open <strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">attachments</span></strong> unless
you are sure the content is safe.]</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">Hi all,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">One aspect of this recurring conversation that I find intensely frustrating is that it sidesteps the even more basic criteria of
<b>accuracy</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">To a certain extent, this is a question of
<b>classification</b> as much as <b>selection</b>. No responsible librarian would purchase a book on creationism and shelve it in the evolutionary biology or geology sections. It would go in theology, where it is appropriate within the conventions of that discipline.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">This conversation also sidesteps the basic criteria of
<b>authority</b>. No responsible librarian would use their limited evolutionary biology or geology budgets to purchase a book on those subjects by
<i>me</i>, a person who has no scholarly expertise in this area, unless maybe I did a really good job of packaging authoritative sources in an accessible way.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">From the reviews of <i>Irreversible Damage</i> that I have read, it is neither accurate nor authoritative. It is, instead, speculative and irresponsible in its methodology,
<b><i>regardless of whether one is sympathetic to its basic argument or not</i></b>. (Which, to be 100% clear, I am not.)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">On "social issues" or "political questions" that impact marginalized communities, mainstream society still accepts that individuals with dominant identities have
<b>right</b> or even an <b>obligation</b> to be equal participants in the conversation, no matter what their actual training or expertise is.
<b>This is ridiculous and antithetical to core values of librarianship.</b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">I've been out of cataloging for many years, so I am not sure where
<i>Irreversible Damage</i> belongs on the shelf, exactly. But it doesn't belong anywhere near where people are going for good-faith information on the science or life experiences of transgender folks. For me, though, I wouldn't bother purchasing it at all,
unless receiving direct patron purchase suggestions or large numbers of interlibrary loan requests.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">The same goes for other works that that harm any marginalized community by being inaccurate and/or poorly informed. They are low-value resources, even if there weren't the negative impact.
<b>Which there undeniably is.</b> Any librarian who selects them anyway should have a very persuasive and specific rationale for how each one serves the mission of their collection, beyond "Some people will find it gratifying to read it" or "But what about...?"</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">Regards,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt">Mark</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Mark Kille</span></b> <o:p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt">Department of County Human Services - Human Resources</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt">503-988-7527</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="mailto:mark.kille@multco.us" target="_blank">mark.kille@multco.us</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Gender-Inclusive Workplace:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC"><a href="https://multco.us/assertive-engagement/lgbtq-justice-further-learning-resources" target="_blank">My pronouns are</a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
he/him/his.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://multco.us/safety-trust-and-belonging-workforce-equity-initiative/why-we-lead-race" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Leading with Race</span></b></a></span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
I am white and Southern.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Accessibility Statement:</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> I use a
</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="http://createsend.com/t/d-ABFFF5F25EC93A19" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">large sans-serif font</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
in my emails to improve accessibility. Please let me know if phone, video, specific file format, or any other medium would be better for communicating with you. You do not need to disclose any disability you may have.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://edmethods.com/student-posts/whose-lands-are-we-on-recognizing-original-peoples-lands-and-history/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Land and Governance
Acknowledgment</span></b></a></span><b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">:
</span></b><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Multnomah County sets policy, enforces laws, and provides services on the land of traditional village sites of
</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://native-land.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">many Indigenous peoples</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.
White settlers took this land with government support through </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://ctgr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=2ba01436bde9445786f0c2a0a669f82d" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">coercion</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
and </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2020/09/27/the-us-government-took-the-land-of-oregons-native-people-170-years-ago-this-week/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">outright
theft</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">, built cities and towns with
</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/8/16/20806069/slavery-economy-capitalism-violence-cotton-edward-baptist" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">wealth derived from centuries
of forced labor</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> by enslaved Africans and their descendants, and protected white dominance through
</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/blacks_in_oregon/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">exclusionary laws and policies</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.
Engaging with the </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://landback.org/manifesto/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Land Back</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
conversation and </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/01/portland-to-lobby-feds-on-reparations-for-black-indigenous-communities.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">taking
action on reparations</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> are urgent and necessary, as are stronger institutional relationships with the
</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="https://www.grandronde.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">,
the </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><a href="http://www.ctsi.nsn.us/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians</span></a></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">,
the <a href="http://clatsop-nehalem.com/" target="_blank">Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes</a>, and the
<a href="https://www.chinooknation.org/" target="_blank">Chinook Nation</a>.</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 9:21 AM Steve Silver via Libs-Or <<a href="mailto:libs-or@omls.oregon.gov">libs-or@omls.oregon.gov</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">External -<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><img border="0" width="650" height="33" style="width:6.7708in;height:.3437in" id="_x0000_i1027" src="https://www3.multco.us/ITSecurity/images/external-sender-email_1200x60.png" alt="External Sender"><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white">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 or a guest writer. Questions can be directed to the author of the topic or to the IFC Committee.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"><img border="0" width="392" height="156" style="width:4.0833in;height:1.625in" id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/1Ff-UL3kMy0fu75UEsF8NhNhmmdCZdg_j6TV-hx8j_ZJRLQpAOXyYxxcmvpWFSBUhmBbqi0e8y4dRfGSebH5PilbaOC_3RW-O61nJQNLQhHNOZ04Sr3ui-hjYZWMic-lfIKMzRnt"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">There has been a great deal of controversy recently concerning the book
</span><a href="http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1230543484" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Irreversible damage</span></i></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> by Abigail Shrier. To understand
the controversy one only has to read the subtitle: <i>The transgender craze seducing our daughters</i>. One can find a quick overview of the book and links to reviews from various sources, both positive and critical, on its
</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreversible_Damage" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Wikipedia page</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">. The
<i>Economist</i> and <i>The Times</i> of London named it a best book of the year. Jack Turban, a psychiatrist specializing in transgender mental health, writing in
</span><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/political-minds/202012/new-book-irreversible-damage-is-full-misinformation" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Psychology Today</span></i></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">,
said the book was “full of misinformation” with the “potential to hurt transgender youth.” </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Likely spurred by the significant attention the book has received in both conservative and progressive media, public libraries have received patron requests to purchase the book.
This has been followed by patron challenges to have the book removed, based on the perceived potential harm to gender-questioning teens. This led at least one library staff member in an Oregon library to question how collection development policies could be
written to preclude purchasing such potentially harmful books in the first place, even if requested by patrons.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">This, of course, begs the question of whether collection development policies SHOULD be written to exclude purchasing books perceived to be potentially harmful. Longstanding ALA
policy as stated in the </span><a href="http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Library Bill of Rights</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
is that “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation” (Article 1), and “Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” (Article 2). The first
half of each of those articles affirm that libraries should provide resources “...for the interest, information, and enlightenment of
<b>all </b>people of the community the library serves” (emphasis added), and “...should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.” In other words, if the topic is current, and if members of your community
are interested in the resource, the library has a certain obligation to acquire the resource. Both questions seem to be a clear ‘yes’ in this instance. The library’s or librarian’s personal views regarding the value - or potential harm - of the resource should
not be a factor (see </span><a href="http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/diversecollections" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Diverse collections: an interpretation of the library bill
of rights</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> and the ALA
</span><a href="http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Code of ethics</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">). Indeed, some of those critical of this book’s content
have in fact argued <u>against</u> proscribing or censoring it. </span><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-censorship-cancel-culture-abigail-shrier-transgender-20201123-sifw7khysrdpnbnj66qxp6yiam-story.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Jonathan
Zimmerman, writing in the Chicago Tribune</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">, makes the simple argument that “[w]hen censorship wins, minorities lose.” He believes that attempts to censor Shrier’s book will “backfire” and end
up hurting the transgender community more than helping. One transgender librarian who was asked to comment on this book made a point of the value of keeping such “‘harmful’ texts available and build[ing] context around them.”</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">At the same time, there is a growing movement within librarianship (often, but not exclusively, grouped under the moniker “critical librarianship,” or #</span><a href="http://critlib.org/about/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">critlib</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">)
that is “...dedicated to bringing social justice principles into our work in libraries….Recognizing that we all work under...a range of structural inequalities.” As some have argued (e.g.
</span><a href="https://medium.com/@CityThatReads/neutrality-is-hostility-the-impact-of-false-neutrality-in-academic-librarianship-c0755879fb09" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Jennifer Ferretti</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
and </span><a href="https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/39" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Eino Sierpe</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">), the
“neutrality” espoused in ALA’s policies as noted above only works to maintain an unjust status quo. Typically this is stated in terms of a white supremacist status quo, but the argument could be equally applicable to any of the social justice issues present
in our current climate, including the acceptance and representation of transgender folk. In this view, libraries do, in fact, have an obligation to proactively support and even protect marginalized communities, such as transgender folk. Intentionally NOT acquiring
books such as <i>Irreversible damage</i>, despite community requests to do so, is seen as a positive step in dismantling “structural inequalities.” These writers would argue that libraries should not be giving tacit support to racist or transphobic views by
acquiring those resources, even if community members are requesting them. Such works, in this view, can do actual harm to these marginalized communities, so for the sake of such communities should not be present in the library.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Predictably, such critical questioning of established core library values has met some pushback. Em Claire Knowles, for example, in a
</span><a href="http://slis.simmons.edu/blogs/emclaireknowles-publications/2018/03/26/can-libraries-be-neutral-should-they-strive-to-be-neutral/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">2018 blog article</span></a><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">,
posits that “neutrality” is and should be “active,” not “passive,” and that such an understanding and practice of neutrality actually works for social justice, not against it. Whether this view is a doubling down on maintaining an inherently unjust status
quo or an honest and nuanced attempt to chart a third path perhaps remains to be seen.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">All of which informs, but perhaps does little to actually answer, our very practical question: Should collection development policies be written in such a way to exclude materials
perceived as harmful to marginalized communities? One very real consideration is that doing so in any way that targets specific viewpoints or theories is very likely to be found unconstitutional (private institutions have a bit more leeway here, but as a general
principle adhering to First Amendment considerations is probably still ideal). A policy that is general enough to equally apply to any and all viewpoints, and thus could pass constitutional muster, likely leaves itself open to being applied in ways that were
not initially intended. As Zimmerman points out, such attempts at censoring are nearly always co-opted by the dominant culture and used against the very minorities the policy was intended to protect. Giving some primacy of consideration to protecting free
expression seems prudent.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Critically examining the role of neutrality in upholding unjust systems and finding ways to support and protect marginalized communities are important, even crucial conversations
our profession must continue to wrestle with. Those conversations are ongoing, and in very real ways only beginning. Where the profession will eventually land on this intersection of core values is perhaps unclear at present. In the meantime, individual library
policy makers will need to think carefully about how their policies can best support the vulnerable among us while still upholding our constitutional imperative to support the free expression of ideas.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">(Special thanks to OLA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force for very helpful input on this Tuesday Topic).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Steve Silver</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Intellectual Freedom Committee member</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Steve Silver<br>
<a href="mailto:SteveSilver673@gmail.com" target="_blank">SteveSilver673@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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