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| Image by Hassas Arts from Pixabay |
Libraries Are for Everyone
Last month I talked about keeping balance in the library collections. Our personal biases have a way of worming their way into our purchasing habits, even if we don’t always realize it. Remember, if you discard an item that shares a certain viewpoint, make sure you are checking other materials and replacing it if necessary. If you find yourself suddenly adding a large number of books on a charged topic, make sure you are balancing that by buying items about the topic from other viewpoints as well.
Housing something for everyone can help prevent patrons from becoming angry when they think the library/staff are withholding information/materials because someone has a different viewpoint than the person looking for a specific item. On the converse, this also irritates some patrons who complain that, “This shouldn’t be in the library.” Then, we can simply tell them we are a public library and are responsible for providing access to information, regardless of what it entails. We need to have materials for everyone. Not everyone will like everything, but it is the patron's choice whether or not to check an item out.
With all of the issues going on around the
country with people trying to remove materials from library collections, it is
good to remember that we are about access to ALL information, and we have a duty
to fight for these rights for our patrons. There are some great resources out
there, including this list from the CCBC Intellectual Freedom Resources page.
The people at CCBC are a wonderful resource and are happy to help provide some
information and ideas on how to communicate with people who are trying to get
items banned.
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