[Foundation-l] Board resolutions on controversial content and images of identifiable people

[Jussi-Ville Heiskanen]

On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 5:53 PM, phoebe ayers <phoebe.wiki at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 6:31 AM, Jussi-Ville Heiskanen
> <cimonavaro at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 10:10 PM, phoebe ayers <phoebe.wiki at gmail.com> wrote:>
>>>
>>> This seems like an over-hasty statement. There are many possible
>>> categorization schemes that are neutral; the ALA in fact makes that
>>> distinction itself, since libraries (obviously) use all kinds of labeling
>>> and categorization schemes all the time. The ALA and other library
>>> organizations have taken a stand against censorious and non-neutral
>>> labeling, not all labeling. If you keep reading the ALA page you linked, it
>>> says that the kind of labels that are not appropriate are when "the
>>> prejudicial label is used to warn, discourage or prohibit users or certain
>>> groups of users from accessing the material" -- e.g. a label that reads "not
>>> appropriate for children". That does not mean that picture books for kids,
>>> or mystery novels, or large-print books, aren't labeled as such in every
>>> public library in the country -- and that is the difference between
>>> informative and prejudicial labeling.
>>
>> Would I be incorrect in pointing out that American public librarys routinely
>> exclude world famous childrens book author Astrid Lindgrens childrens
>> books, because to puritanical minds a man who can elevate himself
>> with a propeller beany, and look into childs rooms thereby, smacks too
>> much of pedophilia?
>>
>
> Uh... yes, you would be incorrect? I certainly checked out Astrid
> Lindgren books from the public library when I was a kid. I have never
> heard of them getting challenged in the US. Citation needed?
>
> The ALA maintains a list of books that do get routinely challenged in
> US libraries here:
> http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/index.cfm.
> Note, this just means someone *asked* for the book to be removed from
> the public or school library, not that it actually was; libraries
> generally stand up to such requests.
>
> Also note that challenges are typically asking for the book to be
> removed from the library altogether -- restricting access to it for
> everyone in the community -- as opposed to simply not looking at it
> yourself or allowing your own kids to check it out. It's the 'removal
> for everyone' part that is the problem; the issue here is freedom of
> choice: people should have the right to read, or not read, a
> particular book as they see fit.
>

The wikipedia article does mention the controversy, but omits the
fact that several libraries did in fact pull the books from their inventory...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlsson-on-the-Roof



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Jussi-Ville Heiskanen, ~ [[User:Cimon Avaro]]