[The complete article will appear in The Progressive Librarian, summer 2008.]
I read "Democracy and Deference" by Mark Slouka in Harpers June 2008 after I made the presentation, . Slouka’s essay is a powerful call to us all to stand up to tyrants large and small:
—-Once the idea of inequality is allowed to take root, a veritable forest of ritualized gestures and phrases springs up to reinforce it. The notion that some bow and others are bowed to comes to seem natural; the cool touch of the floor against our forehead begins to feel right: from classroom to corporate cubicle to the halls of Congress, deferential way leads on to deferential way, and at the end of the road, as Tocqueville foresaw, stands a baaa-ing polity "reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.."–Democracy and Deference" by Mark Slouka.
Workplace Speech in Libraries *
"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
—Article 19- Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Fear of speaking out at work is a manifestation of larger political and social forces than simply a dysfunctional administration at one’s place of work. If we assess our working life as part of a system we will begin to see where repression comes from and we can begin to develop a philosophical, ethical and political framework to overcome fear. Certain kinds of governments unleash and empower the petty dictator within some bureaucrats. Without a larger world view than our cubicle in our office in our building we can easily be made to feel threatened, marginalized or isolated when we speak up for what we deem is right action. And there is nothing good about being threatened, marginalized or isolated. But some of us take stands that make us so. Why some will advocate for values like Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (cited above) and others will not, is likely due to a lack of focus in LIS education on ethical issues and by the profession at large. This is why "Inside Talk: Freedom of Speech in the Library Workplace," sponsored by the Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom of the Canadian Library Association is of such importance.
Librarianship had a recent case (1999) of a major workplace speech controversy when
"On
Berman resigned.
In spring 2005 Berman put forth the proposition in the Journal of Information Ethics that
54.21 Workplace Speech
Libraries should encourage discussion among library
workers, including library administrators, of
non-confidential professional and policy matters
about the operation of the library and matters of public
concern within the framework of applicable laws.
(See Current Reference File": Resolution on Workplace
Speech, 2004-2005 ALA CD#38.1)
====
I recommend to you Pereira Declares by Antonio Tabucchi in which the protagonist, a journalist in Lisbon (1938), slowly realizes that by acceding to government censors in the choice of books he reviews that his culture is being compromised:
“Well then, said the editor-in-chief, I really didn’t expect this latest thing. What latest thing?, asked Pereira, That panegyric on France, said the editor-in-chief, has caused a lot of offence in high places. What panegyric on France? asked Pereira totally bewildered. Come now Pereira ! exclaimed the editor-in-chief, you published a story by Alphonse Daudet about the Franco-Prussian War which ended with the phrase, ” ‘Vive la France!”. [p. 109].
I offer my recent experiences to demonstrate how daily work in the 21st century is a constant effort to be true to values of human rights and social justice and the many ways that workplace speech can be repressed. I write from the point of view of a citizen of the
The case of Sami al-Arian
[The complete article will appear in The Progressive Librarian, summer 2008.]
[The complete article will appear in The Progressive Librarian, summer 2008.]
War in Iraq-Discussion Curtailed Among LIS Students: "Befehl ist Befehl"
[The complete article will appear in The Progressive Librarian, summer 2008.]
Gay Pride in
[The complete article will appear in The Progressive Librarian, summer 2008.]
Standing up for Unions in the LIS Curriculum
[The complete article will appear in The Progressive Librarian, summer 2008.
]
Disappointment and Hope
In the
It has been difficult not be disappointed as those in charge—in the workplace, in professional associations, in local government, in state government and in federal government – gradually drift to accede to the dictates of those in power. The
Think of what Julia Alvarez said in an interview after
"I always wondered, in the
So, we let it happen that
If you are here in this audience then you are concerned about the erosion of freedom. This gives us all hope that together we will seek to understand and there will be many of us who will take from what we know of literature and poetry and share it and then elect the governmental bodies that will free democracy.
I recommend to you one final book, Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño. In part it entails a look at the horror men do to each other and the guilt that those who survive it feel. If we are afraid to criticize the smallest thing, then we learn through a book like Distant Star how violence and patriotism might converge if we do not stand up.
" –and Carlos Wider wrote: Death is cleansing , but so unsteadily, given the adverse weather conditions, that very few spectators, who by now had started to get up from their seats and open their umbrellas, could understand what had been written. All that was left in the sky were dark shreds, cuneiform characters, hieroglyphics, a child’s scribble. "
(p. 81).
+++++++++++++++
Kathleen de la Peña McCook teaches at the
References
Alexander, Linda B., "The Importance of Workplace Speech." American Libraries 36 (Oct. 2005) p. 41.
Alexander, Linda B. "Gay Display Controversy: A Threat to Intellectual Freedom."
American Association of University Professors. Freedom in the Classroom (
American Library Association. "Access to Library Resources and Services Regardless of Sex, Gender, Identity or Sexual Orientation," Resolution adopted by
American Library Association. Policy Manual. Policy 54.21: Workplace Speech.
American Library Association. "Speech in the Workplace: An explanatory statement of the ALA Code of Ethics." Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom 50 (Sept. 2001): 234-235.
American Library Association. "Workplace Speech," Resolution passed June 26, 2005 and incorporated into American Library Association. Policy Manual as Policy 54.21.
Association for Library and Information Science Education. "Position Statement on Information Ethics in LIS Education." [Formulated by the Information Ethics Special Interest Group. Ratified at the ALISE Business Meeting held on January 10, 2008.
Berman, S. "Unmuzzle Us." Journal of Information Ethics 14 (spring 2005).
Berry, John N. "Citing ‘Deception,’ Berman Resigns from
Birdsall, Bart, "Pride and Protest—Bart Birdsall" Library Journal (
Blumenthal,
Bolaño, Roberto. Distant Star (trans. Christopher Andrews)
Bush, Jeb. "Statement by Governor Jeb Bush Regarding
Buschman, John and Mark Rosenzweig. "Intellectual Freedom within the Library Workplace: An Exploratory Study in the
Carney, S.M. "Democratic Communication and the Library as Workplace." Journal of Information Ethics 12 (fall 2003): 43-59.
"Criticizing Bush Administration Policies is not Allowed on Higher Education Service Learning List," Librarian 12.13.200. 130. http://librarian.lishost.org/?p=278
deHaven-Smith, Lance. The
DIllinger, Susan D. and McCook, Kathleen de la Peña. "A Librarian’s Choice: The High Road of Social Responsibility and Ethics or Personal Expediency When Faced by a Devious Government." SRRT Newsletter [Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association]. June 2003. No. 142/143: 3-5.
Dyckman, Martin. "The governor plays rough."
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/06/Columns/The_governor_plays_ro.shtml
"Free Sami al-Arian," http://www.freesamialarian.com/home.htm
Galanopoulos, Anita. "An Indomitable Spirit: The Eight Hundred of CUPE 391," Progressive Librarian 30 (winter 2007/2008): 38-69.
Gilyard, Burl. "Sandy Berman’s Last Stand." City Pages. July 14 (1999): 12-21 as cited in Carney.
"Jeb Bush Vetoes
"Leaving the American Library Association Conference Early," Librarian 6.17.2007.107. http://librarian.lishost.org/?p=445
McCook, Kathleen de la Peña, "Human Rights as a Framework for Reflection in Service Learning: ‘
McCook, Kathleen de la Peña, "Social Justice as a Context for a Career in Librarianship," in Perspectives, Insights and Priorities: 17 Leaders Speak Freely of Librarianship (Scarecrow Press, 2005).
McCook, Kathleen de la Peña, "The USAPATRIOT Act, Dr. Sami Al Arian & the United Faculty of
Pecquet, Julian, "Battlefield
"Progressive Librarians Guild Opposes ALA "Award" to Laura Bush,"
Saldaña Matt, "Author Julia Alvarez on Censorship,"
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A173317
Samek, Toni, Librarianship and Human Rights: A Twenty-First Century Guide. Chandos:
Stevens, Edmund. "Portugal under Dr. Salazar," Harper’s Magazine (August, 1952), p.67.
Tabucchi, Antonio.
United Faculty of
==========================
UDHR-French
Tout individu a droit à la liberté d’opinion et d’expression, ce qui implique le droit de ne pas être inquiété pour ses opinions et celui de chercher, de recevoir et de répandre, sans considérations de frontières, les informations et les idées par quelque moyen d’expression que ce soit– Article 19- Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme.
UDHR-Spanish
Todo individuo tiene derecho a la libertad de opinión y de expresión; este derecho incluye el no ser molestado a causa de sus opiniones, el de investigar y recibir informaciones y opiniones, y el de difundirlas, sin limitación de fronteras, por cualquier medio de expresión. -Artículo 19 – Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos
* "Inside Talk: Freedom of Speech in the Library Workplace." Convened by Toni Samek for The Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom, Canadian Library Association,
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