Sue Kiss

October 7, 2018
LIS 701 99

Are Libraries (and Related Information Organizations) Neutral,

and Should They Be?

When one walks into a library, she should be able to peruse the stacks at her

leisure. If she is feeling romantic and a little naughty, she should be able to pick up a

copy of Fifty Shades of Grey and not be afraid of being judged for her choice. By the

same token, if someone else came into the library and wanted to check out a copy of

the Bible, he should not feel like he would be judged, either. Obviously, these two

books are about as far apart on the spectrum as one can get, however, the circulation

of these two very different books illustrates the point that when one goes to the neutral

library, she/he has free access to all collections. There were many arguments made for

and against neutrality during the ALA Midwinter President’s Program. One of those

arguments was that being neutral is making a choice. As an information professional,

being neutral is not a choice. Rather, it is a duty and privilege to allow patrons the

freedom to choose whatever they want to choose, without fear of judgement,

discrimination, or censorship. With that being said, libraries and information

organizations need to be neutral spaces.

When one thinks about the idea of neutrality, what comes to mind? During the

ALA Midwinter President’s Program, Chris Bourg, Director of libraries at Massachusetts

Institute of Technology states that “Merriam-Webster and the Oxford English

dictionary both define neutrality as the state of not supporting or helping either side in
a conflict, disagreement, or war. Neutrality, by definition, is not taking sides” (“Are

Libraries Neutral? Highlights from the Midwinter President’s Program”). In order for a

library to be neutral, it has to present both sides of issues without bias. Controversial

topics need to be able to be openly discussed and controversial materials which

support both sides of an issue need to be made available to all members of our public.

Neutrality means that anyone can come into the library and find anything he needs.

This neutral position has been challenged, however. If we take a look at the West Bend

(WI) Community Memorial Library debate which aired on CNN, there was a point

brought up that allowing all types of books in the library is making a choice against

those who want those same books banned. As information professionals, we support

the Library Bill of Rights and owe it to all of our patrons to provide access to all

information, regardless of our own biases or personal beliefs. The parents and

community members in West Bend were essentially blaming the library for poisoning

the minds of their youth. The library’s purpose is not to raise children or teach them

right from wrong; that is a parent’s job and responsibility. The responsibility and

purpose of the library is to provide free and equal access to information. The neutral

library is also a place where all patrons, regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation,

political views, etcetera can feel safe and welcomed. The library needs to be a place

where even those who do not feel like they fit in anywhere can fit in.

As well as being a safe place for all patrons, the neutral library provides

unbiased information to its constituents. In an era of fake news, the public needs to

know that there is a place it can go to find credible sources on all topics. If we look at
politics, for example, there is so much bias that it is often hard to distinguish what is

real and what is fake. We see advertisements on television that are supposedly giving

us both sides of the story. However, what we are actually seeing is what each side

wants us to see. So, how do we find the real stories in order to make up our own

minds without being brainwashed into thinking what others want us to think? The

neutral library provides us the access to information that we need in order to see both

sides of arguments so that we can become educated on the facts behind those news

events. Again on the topic of politics, let us assume that a group of democrats wants

to reserve a room in the library to discuss recent political events. Let us also assume

that on that same night, a group of republicans also wants to reserve a room in the

library to discuss those same political events. As information professionals who work

in a neutral library, do we give preferential treatment to one group over the other

because of our personal political affiliations? No. The neutral library would simply

book the rooms for the groups. Our role and responsibility is to offer all patrons free

and equal access to the space and the information contained within that space

regardless of our own biases or beliefs.

What if, as information professionals, we decided to take an activist approach to

programming, resources, and collections and let our own biases dictate what happens

in our space? The previous example of allowing democrats and republicans to

simultaneously use the space would never happen. In fact, one group would not even

be welcomed in our space. Should something like this happen, how can we even call

ourselves information professionals since we are denying a certain group access to our
space and information based on its political affiliation? As stated previously, the library

should be a place where all patrons, regardless of their beliefs, feel safe and welcome.

If the library begins to take an activist approach to its programming, resources, and

collections, that defeats the purpose of the Library Bill of Rights and it effectively

alienates entire groups of people. During the ALA Midwinter Conference, one of the

speakers, Kathleen de la Pena McCook, Distinguished university professor at the

University of South Florida, talked about how her parents never finished high school so

they believed they would not be welcome in the library (“Are Libraries Neutral?

Highlights from the Midwinter President’s Program”). This kind of thinking is absolutely

what we, as information professionals, should keep in mind when thinking about our

libraries. Do we want people to feel like they are not good enough to enter our doors?

Absolutely not! There is so much bullying and negativity in the world that there needs

to be a safe haven, a place to go to feel at home. The neutral library is this place.

Choosing to add our own biases to programming, collections, and resources will only

make libraries another building in a sea of buildings. We need to stand out and be that

special place where all are welcome.

There are many arguments for and against neutrality. There is also the belief

that being a neutral library is, in effect, making a choice. Is it a choice to make sure

that our patrons feel welcome and safe, no matter what their business is inside our

walls? Of course it is, but how can we afford to choose anything else? Being an

information professional allows us the privilege to serve all members of the public and

to interact with and make a difference in their lives. In the neutral library, we provide
equal and free access to all information and we uphold the Library Bill of Rights

regardless of our own biases.

 WORKS CITED

“Are Libraries Neutral? Highlights from the Midwinter President’s Program.” American

Libraries, 1 June 2018,

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2018/06/01/are-libraries-neutral/, 4 Oct.

2018.

IDEAS:
● Banned book week
● Civil rights
● Discrimination
● Freedom of speech (constitution)
● Fake news
● Propaganda - hitler
● Brainwashing
● Library bill of rights
● West bend library