2010 Annual Report July 1, 2009 June 30, 2010

Transcription

1 Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse 2010 Annual Report July 1, 2009 June 30, 2010 Goal: The goal of the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse is to report on challenges to library materials in Oregon, and to provide information and resources needed by librarians to uphold the principles of intellectual freedom in their libraries. Objective: The Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse will: 1. Establish a central clearinghouse to collect reports about written challenges to library material from all types of libraries in Oregon. 2. Write and distribute an annual report on library materials challenged in Oregon. 3. Submit each annual report to the American Library Association s Office of Intellectual Freedom. 4. Maintain the Title Index to Challenges which summarizes all of the reported challenges to library materials in Oregon from 1987 to the present. 5. With permission, connect librarians dealing with a challenge to material at their library to other librarians who have dealt with a similar challenge in the past. 6. Provide resources to help libraries establish policies and procedures that uphold the principles of intellectual freedom before challenges occur. 7. Support the Intellectual Freedom Committees of the Oregon Library Association and Oregon Association of School Libraries in their efforts to increase awareness of intellectual freedom issues. 8. Cooperate with other people and groups concerned with intellectual freedom or related issues. Scope: The Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse (OIFC) collects reports about formal, written challenges to library materials from all types of Oregon libraries. The information is reported to OIFC by Oregon libraries on a voluntarily basis. OIFC compiles the reports from libraries into an annual report each year. Each annual report is posted on the OIFC website ( and submitted to the American Library Association s Office of Intellectual Freedom. Oregon librarians are notified via when the annual report is available on the OIFC website. The 2010 Annual Report is a compendium of 24 challenges to library materials in one school library and three public libraries between July 1, 2009 and June 30, The Title Index to Challenges is a summary of all the challenges reported to OIFC from 1987 to the present. The Title Index to Challenges and all the annual reports are posted on OIFC s website (

2 Summary of Challenges Reported in : The Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse received reports on 24 challenges to library material between July 1, 2009 and June 30, OIFC received two challenge reports from one school library and 22 challenge reports from three public libraries. Of the 24 challenges, 14 of the items were books, eight were DVDs, one was a sound recording, and one was an online resource. Two of the people who initiated challenges were identified as parents, and 22 were initiated by public library patrons. Twenty-two of the challenged items were retained in the collection under their original classification with no alterations such as labels or new covers. One book was relocated from the teen collection to the adult collection because professional reviews and common cataloging practices at other libraries indicated it should be in the adult collection. One book was removed from the collection because a thorough review process found that it was old and in too poor of condition for circulation. The challenged items below are organized alphabetically by title of the challenged item. Each challenged item went through a review process by their respective library s board of trustees, library board, selection committee, or committee of staff members. Review processes typically are adopted procedures by which a reviewing body reads or views challenged material, collects information about the material, and makes a decision about the challenged material. Generally, the library director writes a letter to the party who has challenged the material informing them of the decision, and explaining the appeals process. Armistead Maupin s Further Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin & James Lesesne (Video) Objection: 1. Sexual (sexism, homosexuality, nudity) 2. Values (anti-family) Comments: Patron concerned homosexuality, nudity, and gender change may promote moral decay. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, & Dan Mazer (Video) Objection: Cultural (insensitivity) Comments: Patron concerned item may be offensive. Breaking the Jewish Code by Perry F. Stone (Book) Objection: Cultural (insensitivity) Comments: Patron concerned item may promote prejudice and stereotyping. Page 2 of 7

3 Charlie Chan at Treasure Island by John Larkin (Video) Comments: Patron concerned item description provides no indication that there is nudity in the featurette and requested a warning label. No label was added. Closer by Mike Nichols & Patrick Marber (Video) Objection: 1. Sexual (nudity, sexually explicit) 2. Values (offensive language) Come Clean by The Dwarves (Sound Recording) Comments: Patron concerned item cover may objectify women. No change was made to the cover. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover by Peter Greenaway (Video) Objection: 1. CULTURAL (insensitivity) 2. Sexual (nudity, sexually explicit) 3. Values (antifamily, violent) 4. Social issues (occult, satanism) Dirty White Boys: A Novel by Stephen Hunter (Book) Objection: 1. Sexual (sexually explicit) 2. Values (offensive language) Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. First Amendment to the United States Constitution Page 3 of 7

4 The Hades Moon: Pluto in Aspect to the Moon by Judy Hall (Book) Objection: 1. Sexual (sexually explicit) 2. Values (anti-family, violence) Comments: Patron concerned item may normalize parent-child incest. I Luv Halloween by Keith Griffen & Benjamin Roman (Book; graphic novel) Objection: 1. Cultural (insensitivity) 2. Values (anti-family, violence) Decision: Removed Comments: Patron concerned item may glorify maiming and killing and promote intolerance of the physically disabled, parents, and police. Removed due to age and condition. I s. Vol. 8, Magic Charm by Masakazu Katsura (Book; manga) Comments: Patron concerned item may be inappropriate for the teen collection. Retained in the teen collection. The Legend of Cryin Ryan by Deanna Sharpiro (Video) Objection: Unknown Comments: Patron concerned content may not be appropriate for the children s collection. Retained in the children s collection. Likewise: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag by Ariel Schrag (Book; graphic novel) Objection: Sexual (sexually explicit) Decision: Relocated Comments: Patron concerned sexually explicit content may be inappropriate for the teen collection. Item was relocated. Page 4 of 7

5 Lush by Natasha Friend (Book) Objection: Values (offensive language) Initiator of the challenge: Parent Type of library: School Comments: Parent concerned protagonist may not be a good role model for a child getting help with her father s alcoholism. Michelangelo by Gabriella DiCagno, Simone Bone & L.R. Galante (Book) The Might Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis (Book; graphic novel) Comments: Patron concerned that illustrations may simulate nudity and requested item be relocated to the adult collection. Retained in the teen collection. Mom and the Polka-dot Boo-boo: A Gentle Story Explaining Breast Cancer to a Young Child by Eileen and Maggie Sutherland (Book) Comments: Patron concerned a picture of a half-naked woman drawn by a child may not be appropriate for the children s collection. Item retained in children s collection. For it has been rightly judged that it is of paramount importance that the means of general information should be so diffused that the largest possible number of persons should be induced to read and understand questions going down to the very foundations of social order, which are constantly presenting themselves, and which we, as a people, are constantly required to decide, and do decide, either ignorantly or wisely Report of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library. Page 5 of 7

6 Penn & Teller: Bullshit! [The Complete Sixth Season]: The War on Porn by Penn & Teller (Video) Objection: 1. Sexual (nudity, sexually explicit) 2. Values (violence) Comments: Patron concerned item description provides no indication that there is explicit, violent porn in the episode War on Porn and requested a warning label. No label was added. Rampaging Fuckers of Everything on the Crazy Shitting Planet of the Vomit Atmosphere by Mykle Hansen (Video) Objection: 1. Values (offensive language) 2. Values (occult, satanism) Comments: Patron concerned item may be vulgar, satanic, and disturbing. Shortbus by John Cameron Mitchell (Video) Objection: Sexual Comments: Patron concerned item may be offensive. The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard (Online resource; video) Objection: Values (political view) Initiator of the challenge: Parent Type of library: School Comments: Parent concerned item may be anti-american, contain slanted data and statistics, and that the sponsoring organization is too liberal. That New Animal by Emily Jenkins (Book) Objection: Values (violence) Scarcely any question arises in the United States which does not become, sooner or later, a subject of judicial debate Alexis de Tocqueville Page 6 of 7

7 Vincent van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars by Joan Holub & Brad Bucks (Book) Objection: Unknown Comments: Patron concerned item may be inappropriate for children. Wrap & Drape Fashion: History, Design & Drawing by Elisabetta Drudi (Book) Objection: Unknown Comments: Patron concerned content may be offensive. Sources: "The Constitution of the United States," Amendment 1. Shera, J.H. (1949). Foundations of the Public Library: Origins of the public Library Movement in New England Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Tocqueville, A. (1900). Democracy in America (Rev. Ed.). New York: Colonial Press. Page 7 of 7