Savannah Soraghan RCOW #1

Savannah Soraghan RCOW #1

by Savannah Soraghan -
Number of replies: 1

  1. Which of the values from the E.H. Little Library and the Library the Bill of Rights resonate most with you? Why?

  Stewardship and inclusion are two E.H. Little Library values that resonate most with me. I think libraries, especially currently, are responsible for keeping and preserving their collections. It's essential to keep records so people can acknowledge and learn about history. Avoiding misinformation and educating people are very important to me. It's crucial to ensure everyone has access to these and feels comfortable asking for them. In my experience, the main barrier to asking for help or specific resources was fear of judgment, which many people can relate to. 

  I think the concept of stewardship also correlates with section II of the Library Bill of Rights. Providing people with accurate historical information and a variety of opinions is important. Being exposed to different ways of thought and new views is essential to learning. In my experience, not having these options available can stunt one's academic and personal growth. 

  1. Libraries are in the news due to how these professional values intersect with politics.  Find a news article that mentions libraries with a certain professional value associated with libraries (e.g. privacy, (anti)-censorship, meeting space). Share the link of the article and give a quick summary of the example you found.

https://apnews.com/article/book-ban-library-censorship-weekend-fd6b313bffe81190b3e8e0fb69eb97a1

   This article is about the censorship and pressure that libraries are facing both from their communities and nationally. It talks about efforts that librarians are taking to try and combat some of these pressures and their fight for freedom of speech and press. One major player in this is the ALA Conference which is teaching librarians how to fight attempts to ban books and legislative censorship. 

In reply to Savannah Soraghan

Re: Savannah Soraghan RCOW #1

by Jayme Sponsel -
The stewardship value has always been important but is becoming more important in a digital age. There is a lot of digital media that is created that does not have the same type of longevity as analog media. A good example of this are films and television. A good deal of films/tv are bron digital and only available through streaming via major streaming platforms. In some cases, these streaming companies will pull access to a streaming video and there is no other access point for the film/series.

This article is a good example of what libraries are doing at an organizational level to fight book bans. It's worth noting that this week is banned books week, which is a time that libraries emphasize the freedom to read and draw attention to ways these freedoms are being restricted.