A Fresh Look at the Library Bill of Rights - Part VI
Article Four - Bill of Rights
Taken from the Summer 1997
NCompass
"Libraries
should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment
of free expression and free access to ideas."
(Article IV of the Library Bill of Rights as adopted June 18, 1948 and
amended February 2, 1961, June 27, 1967, and January 23, 1980 by the American
Library Association Council and affirmed as Nebraska Library Bill of
Rights April 3, 1981, by unanimous adoption of Nebraska Library Commission.)
In this latest installment of the NCompass series examining applications
of intellectual freedom and the Library Bill of Rights, we explore how
librarians challenge censorship, exert community leadership, and demonstrate
the courage of their convictions by ensuring that the material in their
libraries truly represents diverse points of view. Since the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) is one of the most reliable organizations standing
by librarians in community coalitions, we asked Matt LeMieux, Executive
Director ACLU Nebraska, to share his thoughts on this partnership.
"ACLU Nebraska, an organization with a diverse membership, is committed
to the protection of civil liberties of all persons," reads ACLU Nebraska's
mission statement. Arguably, the most sacred of our liberties is the First
Amendment's prohibition on government censoring speech and expression.
With the mission of providing citizens with diverse information and enlightenment,
libraries obviously should be free from government censorship schemes and
every effort should be made to protect libraries and librarians from such
schemes.
This is usually where groups like the American Civil Liberties Union
come in. Often, our elected officials ignore the First Amendment in the
name of protecting citizens from "indecent" or "offensive" material. Books
like Tarzan of the Apes and The Catcher in the Rye have been
removed from library shelves by politicians, after being deemed "offensive."
In response to many of these government censorship efforts, ACLU affiliates
around the country have stepped in to protect librarians who have taken
issue with the orders of "censor-happy" politicians, and more importantly,
to protect the sacredness of the First Amendment.
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded 76 years ago in New York
by Roger Baldwin, with a mission of promoting and protecting civil liberties,
those individual rights given to us by our founding fathers. Baldwin probably
would not recognize the structure of today's ACLU, with affiliate offices
in each state, but he certainly would recognize the organization's mission,
which has not changed since Baldwin's days.
Thirty-one years ago, an ACLU office opened in Nebraska. Today, ACLU
Nebraska, with a staff of three and an army of volunteers, protects Nebraskans'
rights through litigation, legislation, and public education. Abolition
of the death penalty, gay and lesbian rights, reproductive freedom, and
AIDS discrimination are among the topics tackled by ACLU Nebraska over
the past year, indicating ACLU Nebraska's willingness to take on unpopular
causes to protect the Constitution.
Unfortunately, fighting against censorship has somehow become just as
unpopular in some areas of the country. The recent court battle over the
Communications Decency Act illustrates how Americans are willing to allow
government to act as censors. Many communities around the nation are facing
a new Internet censorship effort that has popular support: filters on library
Internet terminals. In many of these instances, the ACLU has once again
come to the aid of librarians and the First Amendment to stand against
these populist censorship efforts.
Here in Nebraska, the ACLU, when called upon by librarians or citizens,
will seek to educate the politicians on why these filters violate the First
Amendment. ACLU Nebraska invites librarians and concerned citizens to contact
our office with civil liberties complaints and questions, like those surrounding
library filtering efforts in communities across Nebraska. Contact ACLU
Nebraska at 402-476-8091 or e-mail: NCLU@aol.com.
For additional information on ACLU Nebraska, visit our Web site at
www.lincolnne.com/nonprofit/aclune.
Matt LeMieux
For more information on this topic and a listing of organizations dedicated
to Intellectual Freedom, see the Library Commission home page,
http://nlc.state.ne.us/legal/freedom/intelinfo.aspx#documents.