Librarians who try, either through the use of filters or restrictive policies in regard to children, may be more likely to be sued than librarians who support open access for all. Librarians must deal not only with their own discomfort about exposing children to 'bad' materials, but also with political action groups whose concern about their own children extends to repression for all and library boards who feel the safest course is to avoid trouble and controversy. If we look again at the Library Bill of Rights , one way out of this tangle of conflicting values and feelings is clear. An appendix to the Bill of Rights goes on to specify that children are included under the Library Bill of Rights. Librarians who wish to observe the ethics of their profession can therefore stand up for children's access to all library services and materials.
Librarians can be a moral and resolute voice for intellectual freedom.
Perhaps 'stand up' is the operant phrase. They are not expected to fall down for it. When boards discuss passing repressive policies, the librarian's obligation is to exercise the right to free speech, to quietly and logically speak on behalf of children's need for information, to be a voice for the Bill of Rights. It is not their obligation to get fired or sued, only to speak up.