Censorship and patron privacy in the hyperlinked world

Reflection #2: Does privacy only extend to the patrons who agree with us?

This week’s choose your own adventure reading had me excavating the connections between censorship, patron privacy, and the politics of libraries. Folks, it’s a doozy.

My explorations were informed by the recent passage of a Colorado law, SB24-216, which aims to help public libraries in my state address the recent rise in materials challenges (Llanes, 2024). Put into place because of the “increasingly hostile political environment,” the bill includes protections from employment retaliation and establishes guidelines for libraries to follow with their request for reconsideration processes (Llanes, 2024).

While “library and school policies are made locally,” the widespread and coordinated campaigns of censorship that we’ve seen over the past few years are not; they are often the nationwide efforts of interconnected political advocacy organizations (Rosenberg, 2023; Limbong, 2022). When some of these challenges get particularly heated, librarians end up facing harassment, stalking, and doxing in their communities (Kingson, 2024; Retta, 2022). For doing their job—providing a broad spectrum of books for a diverse range of interests and belief systems—these librarians are facing the release of their personal information and the fear that anyone could show up outside of their homes. This is scary and difficult and feels wrong. So, why would we want to subject patrons to this same fear?

In addition to the host of helpful stipulations, that new Colorado law also removes common patron privacy protections from individuals who complete requests for reconsideration forms (Hernandez, 2024). Subject to the Colorado Open Records Act, the names, addresses, and other personally identifiable information collected on these request for reconsideration forms will not be redacted (Llanes, 2024). I find this immensely troubling. Is the confidentiality we extend to our patrons null once they question our judgement? Does this not feel like a step towards the same intimidation tactics we deplore when they are taken against librarians?

The American Library Association (2019) asserts that “when users recognize or fear that their privacy or confidentiality is compromised, true freedom of inquiry no longer exists.” If we respect our patrons’ freedom of inquiry (to ask us reference questions, or reader’s advisory questions), then we also must respect their right to inquire of us (to question our judgement, our credentials).

Our hyperlinked world gives us so much power: the power to communicate widely, the power to find likeminded friends, the power to create, share, and geek out together. But it also provides us with the power to do harm: to bully, to harass, to intimidate, and to silence. Let us make sure we wield our power wisely.

References

American Library Association. (2019, June 24). Privacy: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/privacy

Hernandez, E. (2024, June 4). New Colorado law aims to protect public libraries from partisan book-banning battles. The Denver Post. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/06/04/colorado-law-libraries-book-ban-requests/

Kingson, J. A. (2024, March 1). Book bans? Make that ‘intellectual freedom challenges.’ Axios. https://www.axios.com/2024/03/01/libraries-book-bans-censorship-intellectual-freedom

Limbong, A. (2022, September 19). New report finds a coordinated rise in attempted book bans. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/09/19/1123156201/new-report-finds-a-coordinated-rise-in-attempted-book-bans

Llanes, C. (2024, June 16). A new law aims to protect Colorado’s public libraries from book bans. KSUT Public Radio. https://www.ksut.org/news/2024-06-16/a-new-law-aims-to-protect-colorados-public-libraries-from-book-bans

Moore, B. (2023). Limited reading [Digital image]. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved June 29, 2024 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limited_reading.png

Ramspott, J. (2022). Book banning protest, Atlanta, GA 2-12-2022 [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved June 29, 2024 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Book_Banning_Protest,_Atlanta,_GA_2-12-2022_P2120070_(51878089751).jpg

Retta, M. (2022, December 19). American Library Association President: Librarians are facing harassment. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/american-library-association-president-book-bans-censorship

Rosenberg, A. (2023, April 6). How to fight book bans – and win. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/05/book-bans-how-to-fight/