From: edsall@iastate.edu (David M Edsall)
Subject: ONE YEAR AGO: New news censorship policy at Iowa State University
Keywords: bogus!
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 23:05:51 GMT

In <1991Dec16.200140.22800@eff.org> kadie@eff.org (Carl M. Kadie) writes:

>The introduction to the policy suggests that it is consistent with
>library policy with respect to controversial material.

>[...]
>>Institutions on campus such as the Parks Library already have
>>guidelines regarding free access to information.  They also have
>>policies in place to handle complaints from those who object to
>>various forms of research material.  The guidelines do not impose
>>censorship.  They allow access to all materials, although some
>>material may be available only upon request.  Procedures exist to
>>review the purchase of materials which might be considered illegal
>>under state or federal statute.  Costs, themselves, prevent the
>>collection of all possible material.

>[..]
>>Usenet News lists, however, present a new form of "openness", both in
>>access and in collection.  University computer access may extend
>>further into the public in the immediate future with ever-expanding
>>network access.  Assumptions that access is limited to adults
>>(student, staff, or faculty) may no longer be valid.  This new medium
>>provides any user the ability to voluntarily read and say anything
>>they want in a relatively uncensored and anonymous atmosphere.  What
>>is posted anywhere on the world-wide network will result in Iowa State
>>"acquiring" that posting.
>[...]

>I believe that the policy is inconsistent with library policy. I'm
>enclosing two relevent American Library Assoication statements and
>information on how to access an on-line archive of such statements.

>- Carl Kadie

>==================================================
>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.]

>=========================================================
>ACCESS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE TO VIDEOTAPES
>AND OTHER NONPRINT FORMATS

>An Interpretation of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS


>Library collections of videotapes, motion pictures, and other nonprint formats
>raise a number of intellectual freedom issues, especially regarding minors.

>The interests of young people, like those of adults, are not limited by
>subject, theme, or level of sophistication.  Librarians have a responsibility
>to ensure young people have access to materials and services that reflect
>diversity sufficient to meet their needs.

>To guide librarians and others in resolving these issues, the American Library
>Association provides the following guidelines.

>Article V of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS says, "A person's right to use a
>library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background,
>or views."

>ALA's FREE ACCESS TO LIBRARIES FOR MINORS:  An Interpretation of the LIBRARY
>BILL OF RIGHTS states:

>      The "right to use a library" includes free access to, and unrestricted
>      use of, all the services, materials, and facilities the library has to
>      offer.  Every restriction on access to, and use of, library resources,
>      based solely on  the chronological age, educational level, or legal
>      emancipation of users violates Article V.

>      . . .[P]arents - and only parents - have the right and the
>      responsibility to restrict the access of their children - and only their
>      children - to library resources.  Parents or legal guardians who do not
>      want their children to have access to certain library services,
>      materials or facilities, should so advise their children.  Librarians
>      and governing bodies cannot assume the role of parents or the functions
>      of parental authority in the private relationship between parent and
>      child.  Librarians and governing bodies have a public and professional
>      obligation to provide equal access to all library resources for all
>      library users.

>Policies which set minimum age limits for access to videotapes and/or other
>audiovisual materials and equipment, with or without parental permission,
>abridge library use for minors.  Further, age limits based on the cost of the
>materials are unacceptable.  Unless directly and specifically prohibited by
>law from circulating certain motion pictures and video productions to minors,
>librarians should apply the same standards to circulation of these materials
>as are applied to books and other materials.

>Recognizing that libraries cannot act in loco parentis, ALA acknowledges and
>supports the exercise by parents of their responsibility to guide their won
>children's reading and viewing.  Published reviews of films and videotapes
>and/or reference works which provide information about the content, subject
>matter, and recommended audiences can be made available in conjunction with
>nonprint collections to assist parents in guiding their children without
>implicating the library in censorship.  This material may include information
>provided by video producers and distributors, promotional material on
>videotape packaging, and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings
>if they are included on the tape or in the packaging by the original publisher
>and/or if they appear in review sources or reference works included in the
>library's collection.  Marking out or removing ratings information from
>videotape packages constitutes expurgation or censorship.

>MPAA and other rating services are private advisory codes and have no legal
>standing*.  For the library to add such ratings to the materials if they are
>not already there, to post a list of such ratings with a collection, or to
>attempt to enforce such ratings through circulation policies or other
>procedures constitutes labeling, "an attempt to prejudice attitudes" about the
>material, and is unacceptable.  The application of locally generated ratings
>schemes intended to provide content warnings to library users is also
>inconsistent with the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS.

>*For information on case law, please contact the ALA Office for Intellectual
>Freedom.

>See also:  STATEMENT ON LABELING and EXPURGATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS,
>Interpretations of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS.


>Adopted June 28, 1989, by the ALA Council; the quotation from FREE ACCESS TO
>LIBRARIES FOR MINORS was changed after Council adopted the July 3, 1991,
>revision of that Interpretation.

>[Made available by permission of the American Library Association.]

>=========================================================
>=================
>README
>=================
>Library Policy Archive
>  [part of the Computers and Academic Freedom (CAF) Archive
>     [part of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Archive]]

>This is an on-line collection of library policy statements. It
>includes the American Library Association's Freedom To Read statement
>and the ALA Library Bill of Rights. (The ALA material is made
>available by permission of the American Library Association.)

>The archive is accessible via anonymous ftp and email. Ftp to
>ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.3). It is in directory "pub/academic/library".
>For email access, send email to archive-server@eff.org. Include the
>line:
>  send library-policies <filenames>
>where <filenames> is a list of the files that you want. File README is
>a detailed description of the items in the directory.

>For more information, to make contributions, or to report typos
>contact Carl Kadie (kadie@eff.org).

>=================
>access.children.nonprint.ala
>=================
>"Access for Children and Young People to Videotapes and Other Nonprint
>Formats"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>access.minors.ala
>=================
>"Free Access to Libraries for Minors"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>access.policies.ala
>=================
>"Regulations, policies, and Procedures Affecting Access to Library
>Resources and Services"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>access.restrictions.ala
>=================
>"Restricted Access to Library Materials"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>bill-of-rights.ala
>=================
>The Library Bill of Rights from the American Library Association.

>=================
>bulletin-boards.ala
>=================
>"Exhibit Spaces and Bulletin Boards"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>censorship.def.ala
>=================
>The American Library Association's definition of "censorship" and related
>terms.

>=================
>challenged-materials.ala
>=================
>"Challenged Materials"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>confidentiality.1.ala
>=================
>The American Library Association's "Policy on Confidentiality of
>Library Records"

>=================
>confidentiality.2.ala
>=================
>The American Library Association's "Statement Concerning
>Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information about Library
>Users"

>=================
>diversity.ala
>=================
>"Diversity in Collection Development"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>elec.rights1-4
>=================
>This is the ASCII version of a printed booklet distributed at the
>American Library Association conference in July 1991. The program was
>sponsored by the Library and Information Technology Association.
>Details follow on ordering the full print monograph.
>[From ftp.apple.com:alug/rights/elec.rights1-4]

>=================
>evaluating-collections.ala
>=================
>"Evaluating Library Collections"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>expurgation.ala
>=================
>"Expurgation of Library Materials"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>free-expression.ala
>=================
>"The Universal Right to Free Expression"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>freedom-to-read.ala
>=================
>The "Freedom to Read Statement" of the American Library Association
>and Association of American Publishers.

>=================
>int-freedom.ala
>=================
>"Intellectual Freedom Statement"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>int-freedom.can
>=================
>Canadian Library Association Statement on Intellectual Freedom

>=================
>labeling.ala
>=================
>"Statement on Labeling"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>library-programs.ala
>=================
>"Library Initiated Programs as a Resource"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>meeting-rooms.ala
>=================
>"Meeting Rooms"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>order.form.ala
>=================
>Information on how to order intellectual freedom material from the
>American Library Association. Much of the material is free.

>=================
>school-libraries.ala
>=================
>"Access to Resources And Services in the School Library Media Program"

>An interpretation by the American Library Association of the "Library
>Bill of Rights"

>=================
>selection-workbook.ala
>=================
>The American Library Association's "Workbook on Selection Policy
>Writing". Although aimed at textbook and library book selection in
>grade and high schools, it also seems applicable to newsgroup
>selection. It includes information about how create a selection policy
>and how to handle complaints. It also includes a sample selection
>policy.

>=================
>=================
>Last update
>Mon Nov  4 20:01:59 EST 1991
>-- 
>Carl Kadie -- kadie@eff.org, kadie@cs.uiuc.edu, or (anonymous) ap.4352@hri.com
>I do not represent EFF; this is just me.
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk,alt.censorship,alt.discrimination,alt.politics.correct