Not only does it call for the same treatment for all, it calls for being objective and neutral in the way we handle requests. Librarians must provide the highest level of service through appropriate and usefully organized collections, fair and equitable circulation and service policies, and skillful, accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests for assistance . The intent is that each of us give every patron the same level of respect, attention, and courtesy. Children and their questions are given the same level of care we give to adults. Intellectual freedom is the basis of democracy.
Intellectual freedom is the core of the library concept.
Just as all patrons receive equal treatment, so do all questions. We do not make judgments that some questions are more deserving of our time than others. All questions are important to the person who is asking them and deserve our fair share of attention. For example, it may seem at first glance that a request for the words of a song is less important than the address of a business requested by the local factory. The request for the words to a song may, in fact, be critical to a patron who is planning a public performance for a charity benefit.