American Library Association

Scapegoating Skateboarders
Author(s): Rich McGowan
Reviewed work(s):
Source: American Libraries, Vol. 34, No. 8 (Sep., 2003), p. 35
Published by: American Library Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25648867 .
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OPINION

in Toronto

were

easy

to get

into

without reservations due to the

lack of business. I felt sorry for the
people who had planned their pro
grams

one

(often

to two years

in

advance) only to have low atten

dance or who had to cancel their
programs

altogether.

I hope we can have ALA again in

Toronto. It is a beautiful city, and I
think themembership should get
another chance to visit itwhen the
SARS issue has died down.
Mitch Turitz
San Francisco State University
Scapegoating

Skateboarders

I can understand

Harry

S. Stein's

with a library thatdoes

frustration
not offera quiet place to read and
think (Aug., p. 43). Unfortunately,
Mr. Stein chose to end his opinion
piece with the line "Maybe skate
boards are next," implying that those
who would ride or own skateboards
are obviously loud and bothersome.
As a librarianwho rides a skate

Early

board,

and

even

sometimes

rides

one towork instead of driving, I'd

like to remind Mr. Stein not to

make

such

base

As

assumptions.

far as I can tell, adult and teenage

patrons being loud in library com
mon areas has nothing at all to do
with how they get their exercise or
get

around

town.

Rich McGowan
Chicago

ALA's
Left-Wing Speakers
For an organization that should
champion intellectual diversity,
the lineup of speakers at recent
ALA conferences has been little
short of appalling. Much like po
litically correct college campuses
where

students

in some

depart

ments are denied the opportunity

to hear from professors of diver
gent political views, ALA gives its
members a steady diet of left-wing
political dogma. The irony is that
we,

as

librarians,

to be nonpartisan

Literacy

are

duty-bound

in our dealings

with the public and select library

materials that offer the full range
of political opinions. Yet the
speakers selected to appear before
our

association

range

from

the

far

left (Ralph Nader) to the socialist

(Bernie Sanders) to the radical
feminist (Gloria Steinem). Who
chooses these speakers? Do they
think no one notices when those
selections

rather

consistently

resent one side of the political

Is there

spectrum?

no

one

rep

among

ALA's leadership with the good

sense

and

courage

to question

this

clear political bias?

ALA also dishonors itself and its
mission by accepting a $25,000
contribution fromMichael Moore,
who is simply using our associa
tion to advance his own political
agenda under the guise of free
speech and the right to read. He
has cleverly milked the disagree
ments with his publisher into a
cause

celebre

over

what

were

valid

editorial judgments about a poorly

Sfafaorr

Opening tfee floor fo a lifetimeof learning

Packed with developmental^ appropriate software selected by Early Literacy Specialists

Completely locked down and guaranteed to be stable every time
Printer included
Grant assistance available

? Social Studies

SEPTEMBER 2003

I AMERICAN

LIBRARIES

35