Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: Selection and Censorship

1
Intellectual Freedom and Libraries Selection and
Censorship
2
Review and Overview

• Review Justifications for IF, some reasons for
  skepticism.
• Questions?
• Overview
• Neutrality--pro and con
• Censorship--how do we define it?
• Censoring Pornography? Pro and con

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Quiz 3

• According to Asheim, what are the key differences
  between the censor and the selector?
• Explain one of Doyles arguments against the view
  that librarians must and should censor.
• Describe one of the serious and widespread
  forms of censorship that Berman argues are
  practiced in libraries. Give an example.
• Explain one of the arguments given by feminists
  for why pornography should be censored.
• Give at least one reason why the Supreme Court
  found the Child Pornography Prevention Act of
  1996 (CPPA) overbroad and unconstitutional?

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What is Censorship?

• Can libraries censor?
• Does the motivation matter?
• Unconscious/unintentional censorship?
• Is all censorship wrong?

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Suggested Definition of Censorship

• Restricting access to a work or category of works
  based on the belief that it will be bad thing if
  people (or a subclass of people) access the
  content of the work.
• Types of badness
• Bad for me
• Inherently bad
• Bad consequences for others
• (1) participation in exploitation
• (2) creating a market
• (3) hostile atmosphere
• (4) influence
• (5) implementation.

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Neutrality

• Criticisms of neutrality
• Not Possible
• the librarian must wage this noble war against
  censorship in his (sic) role as censor. John
  Swan 1979.
• Not Desirable
• there are times when silence is not neutrality
  but assent Jesse Shera.