Selection or Censorship Mary Othic December 8, 2010

According to Dictionary.com, to censor means : to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable and censorship is the art or practice of censoring. Whereas select is defined as to make a choice; pick and selection an act or instance of selecting or the state of being selected; choice. Theses definitions could both be applied to picking books for a library but if we pay attention to them it becomes apparent that selection and censorship in libraries are very different. In this paper, I will discuss what it is that differentiates selection from censorship, what tools are used to aid librarians in their selections and how todays technological advances are causing librarians to reexamine selection vs. censorship debates. What is it that makes censorship different from selection? Lester Asheim in his article Not Censorship but Selection eloquently states that, Selections approach to the book is positive, seeking its values in the book as a book, and in the book as a whole. Censorships approach is negative, seeking for vulnerable characteristics wherever they can be found. Librarians are choosing books to provide a well rounded, complete collection that is geared toward the community they represent. They are looking for positive value to be added to the collection when they select a book. According to the American Library Associations Code of Ethics, librarians are to uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources and distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources. With this in mind, censorship is something that librarians are striving to eliminate. Selection is a part of the job that each librarian has been trained for and takes seriously. The intent of every librarian is to provide access to the most diverse, well written collection possible. There are things that are going to be omitted from a collection for reasons such

as space, cost, that they are pornographic material, a repeat of information already owned and may others but the reasons never include the intent to keep information from the public. How do librarians select materials that keep the collection vital without letting a censoring eye slip into their job? First they keep in mind the ALA ethics mentioned above but they also use tools within their collection development policy. At the beginning of most collection development policies there is a mission statement that helps develop the overall goals and mission of the library. It is also clearly stated who is responsible for making selections in the policy. The selection policy and the selection process or guidelines are the portion of the collection development policy that give specific details to help determine exactly what is to be selected. The Morton Public Librarys selection policy states that, No title is excluded on the basis of moral, racial, religious, or political prejudice. Titles are selected, within the limitations of the budget, on the basis of critical consensus among recognized subject authorities. Their selection guidelines give the instruction to select items with Literary merit; enduring value; accuracy; authoritativeness; social significance; importance of subject matter to the collection; timeliness; popular demand; cost; scarcity of material on the subject and availability elsewhere; quality and suitability of the format; other considerations may be applicable in specific subject areas. Selectors should choose materials that will build a well-rounded collection which includes all viewpoints and opinions and which will meet patrons' needs. With these two items alone, a librarian could begin to understand what would motivate them to choose a particular item. If a book is not in the Morton Grove library it is because it does not fit into these guidelines not because it is being determined to be a bad or unfit book. The intent is to find the best fit for the library not to limit information due to a specific issue such as sex, language, or religion. These guidelines also apply to internet and other technologies in the library but there is a lot of gray area when it comes to new technologies.

With computers being a necessary item in all libraries in this day and age, the issues of censorship and selection is prevalent in this technology. The Childrens Internet Protection Act and filtering are bringing up issues on what can and can not be viewed on computers and who is deciding. It often comes down to money and who is providing the money for the technology. I feel that librarians are doing all they can to keep selection and censorship separate when it comes to technology but as the government steps in it is often out of their hands.

Works Cited ALA Council. American Library Association. American Library Association, 22 Jan. 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm Asheim, Lester. Not Censorship But Selection. Wilson Library Bulletin 28 (September 1953): 63-67. http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/basics/notcensorship.cfm Inter, Sheila S. Censorship Versus Selection, One More Time. Technicalities 24.3 (May/June 2004): 1,7-10. Wilson OmniFile: Full Text Mega Edition. WilsonWeb. Web. 8 Dec. 2010 Morton Grove Public Library. Webrary. Morton Grove Public Library, 22 Feb. 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. http://www.webrary.org/inside/colldevtoc.html