Newsgroups: comp.society
From: kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie)
Subject: Re: USENET Censorship at Iowa State University
Message-Id: <1992Apr6.184913.6775@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 18:49:13 GMT

The central question at Iowa State University is this: do intellectual
freedom protections apply to university Netnews facilities? If the
answer is no, policy for such facilities must be created from scratch.
If the answer is yes, then policy can and should exploit our
collective experience with other information facilities, for example,
academic libraries and even the university as a whole.

I challenge everyone to read the enclosed, short, American Library
Association policy on access restrictions. If you still support the
Iowa State restrictions on the newsgroup facilities, would you also
support similar restrictions on the University library?

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RESTRICTED ACCESS TO LIBRARY MATERIALS

                An Interpretation of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS


Libraries are a traditional forum for the open exchange of information.
Attempts to restrict access to library materials violate the basic tenets of
the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS.

Historically, attempts have been made to limit access by relegating materials
into segregated collections.  These attempts are in violation of established
policy.  Such collections are often referred to by a variety of names,
including "closed shelf," "locked case," "adults only," "restricted shelf," or
"high demand."  Access to some materials also may require a monetary fee or
financial deposit.  In any situation which restricts access to certain
materials, a barrier is placed between the patron and those materials.  That
barrier may be age related, linguistic, economic, or psychological in nature.

Because materials placed in restricted collections often deal with
controversial, unusual, or "sensitive" subjects, having to ask a librarian or
circulation clerk for them may be embarrassing or inhibiting for patrons
desiring the materials.  Needing to ask for materials may pose a language
barrier or a staff service barrier.  Because restricted collections often are
composed of materials which some library patrons consider "objectionable," the
potential user may be predisposed to think of the materials as "objectionable"
and, therefore, are reluctant to ask for them.

Barriers between the materials and the patron which are psychological, or are
affected by language skills, are nonetheless limitations on access to
information.  Even when a title is listed in the catalog with a reference to
its restricted status, a barrier is placed between the patron and the
publication (see also "Statement on Labeling").

There may be, however, countervailing factors to establish policies to protect
library materials--specifically, for reasons of physical preservation
including protection from theft or mutilation.  Any such policies must be
carefully formulated and administered with extreme attention to the principles
of intellectual freedom.  This caution is also in keeping with ALA policies,
such as "Evaluating Library Collections," "Free Access to Libraries for
Minors," and the "Preservation Policy."

Finally, in keeping with the "Joint Statement on Access" of the American
Library Association and Society of American Archivists, restrictions that
result from donor agreements or contracts for special collections materials
must be similarly circumscribed.  Permanent exclusions are not acceptable.
The overriding impetus must be to work for free and unfettered access to all
documentary heritage.

Adopted February 2, 1973; amended July 1, 1981; July 3, 1991, by the ALA
Council.

[Made available by permission of the American Library Association.]
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--
Carl Kadie -- kadie@cs.uiuc.edu -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign