ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 76/ C&RL News Censorship in an academic library By Susan Podrygula It happened to us. Could it happen to you? I read about the recent controversy surround­ing the book Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite (Alyson Wonderland, 1990) with pro­ fessional interest and empathy for the librar­ ians trying to uphold the concept o f intellec­ tual freedom in their communities. Daddy’s Roommate is a children’s book which portrays a young boy and his gay family. It had been the target o f censors nationwide, particularly in school and public libraries and, most nota­ bly, in the “Rainbow Curriculum” in the New York City School System. A censorship chal­ lenge didn't seem like an immediate problem for our library. After all, I assumed everyone believes institutions o f higher education are a place for the free exchange of ideas. Still, I wasn’t totally surprised when our library direc­ tor called me into his office to show me a letter asking to have Daddy’s Roommate “quietly” removed from our shelves. The setting Some background on the institution: Minot State University (MSU) offers eleven master’s degree programs as well as a full array of undergradu­ ate programs to a student body of 3,800. The university is located in a town with a popula­ tion of 34,000, with an additional 9,000 per­ sons at a nearby airbase. The library moved into a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in May of 1992, tripling its size. A new library building may very well have been a contributing factor to the censorship challenge. Increased traffic, common to many new library buildings, along with a more prominent location for the Children’s Collection meant increased usage. The Children’s Collection offers both fiction and nonfiction materials for preschool through grade six. The primary users of the collection are stu­ dents studying children’s literature and educa­ tion students planning school lessons. In addi­ tion to these traditional users, library staff have observed an increase in usage o f the collection by “older than average” students utilizing it as a recreational reading collection for their own children. The initial complaint about Daddy’s Room­ mate came in the form o f a letter from a local minister to the university’s president. After re­ viewing how “ancient Greece and Rome are silent testimonies to the decaying effects o f the establishment of homosexuality as normative in society,” he concluded that he was sure the president would “dispense with this matter with quiet efficiency.” The president forwarded the letter on to the library’s director. Responding through channels As coordinator for collection development, I was called in to consult on the matter. I re­ viewed with the director the history of the book in our collection (it had been sitting on our shelves for nearly two years, checked out six times). And it had received positive reviews in School Library Journal and the Bulletin f o r the Center f o r Children ’s Books. A quick look at the library’s “Collection Development State­ ment” helped us review the procedure for re­ quests to reconsider library materials. We were confident we had done all the right things. The director then met the with university president to discuss the letter. The outcome of that dis­ cussion was that the director responded to the Susan Podrygula is head o f technical services and coordinatorf o r collection development at M inot State University, Minot, North Dakota February 1994 / 77 minister with a letter outlining the procedure to request the reconsideration o f library mate­ rials and a copy o f the form to be used for this purpose. A couple of weeks passed without any indi­ cation o f what would happen. In the mean­ time, the president received a second note con­ cerning Daddy’s Roommate. This time a local businessman expressed his concerns about the book, saying that it “does not represent the norm for lifestyle in Minot.” We suspect, but can’t confirm, that this man was a member of the church the minister serves. Again, the di­ rector sent a letter stating our policy with a copy o f the form to fill out for reconsideration. Finally the minister returned the form to request the book be formally reviewed. The cover letter stated he was “not sure that the MSU library desires the distinction o f being a beachhead for the propagation o f the seamy homosexual lifestyles.” He answered on the form that one o f his objections was the presen­ tation o f homosexuality as “just another kind o f love.” As far as what might be the result of using this material he stated that “parents would be infuriated that our tax dollars are purchas­ ing this type of garbage” and a “public outcry will be unleashed, as in N.Y.” Formal review of a book The library’s “Collection Development State­ ment,” approved by the Faculty Senate in 1984, outlined that the complaint would be reviewed by the Senate’s Library Committee. The library director informed the chairperson of the com­ mittee o f their task, and informed the presi­ dent that a formal complaint had been received. Now the real work began in earnest. Time and time again it was reinforced that being pre­ pared and professional paid off. While waiting for the form to be returned, I had checked out the library’s copy o f Intellec­ tual Freedom Manual (ALA, 1992). Reading and reviewing the Library Bill o f Rights and its in­ terpretations was encouraging as well as use­ ful. A call to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Free­ dom brought a helpful pep talk and a huge packet o f information about other challenges to Daddy’s Roommate. It also brought a mo­ ment of embarrassment and a sense of paro­ chialism to me, when they remarked that they hadn’t heard o f any challenges to academic li­ braries concerning this book. Throughout the whole process there was always the unsettling feeling o f not knowing what to expect next. As university librarians, we did not expect people to challenge the con­ tents of the collection. The ideas o f intellectual and academic freedom are so taken for granted that it was almost inconceivable that we were carrying out a procedure we had never used or, for that matter, expected to use. Preparing for publicity Early on, the library director and I met with the director o f university relations. This person serves as a spokesperson for the university and it was decided that he would handle any in­ quiries from the public and press. We tried to think o f possible scenarios: How far would this minister take this? Would there be a public outcry like he insinuated in his complaint? Would there be a group o f pickets at the library’s doorstep one morning? I subsequently … he was “not sure that the MSU library desires the distinc­ tion o f being a beachhead f o r the propagation o f the seamy homosexual lifestyles. ” met with this person, giving him as much in­ formation as possible about the book, about our collection development policy, and about intellectual freedom in libraries. With his jour­ nalism background, he was an interested and sympathetic voice who helped us anticipate any ramifications of this problem. The patron that had Daddy’s Roommate checked out at the time the complaint was re­ ceived seemed to be utilizing their full circula­ tion period. We now had people who wanted to read the book and no copy was available. Alyson Wonderland had made an offer to do­ nate free copies of the book to libraries that requested them. Publisher Sasha Alyson re­ marked, “librarians have gone to the mat for us on this one.”1 A quick call to the publisher brought us a free copy via two-day mail. In addition, we borrowed a copy through interli­ brary loan. Along with the library’s copy, this made three copies available for the six-person Library Committee. One issue we wrestled with was who to make aware of the complaint. There’s a fine line between keeping too much in-house, per­ haps seeming secretive, and going public and 78/C&RL News facing the possibility of things getting out of hand. The library director kept the library staff up-to-date on the process in case they were ever queried. Everyone was given instruc­ tions to refer questions or interviews to the university relations director. Certain faculty were informed on an informal basis, mainly those whose courses could be affected by the complaint (e.g., children’s literature, educa­ tion), and faculty that are strong supporters o f the library. O f course, as more people were informed, the circle of those that knew grew, but it was kept somewhat discreet. We had some support lined up if needed, but we leaned towards being conservative and it seemed to work for us. The Library Committee completes its review In order to get the Library Committee and oth­ ers involved in the process ready to deal with their task, we prepared an informational packet that contained the following: copies of the cor­ respondence between the library director and the person filing the complaint, including the request for reconsideration of library materials form; a copy of the library’s “Collection Policy Statement”; reviews of the book; a copy o f the Library Bill o f Rights-, two interpretations o f the Library Bill o f Rights included in the Intellec­ tual Freedom Manual: “Diversity in Collection Development” and “Restricted Access to Library Materials”; two chapters from the same book: “The Freedom to Read” and “Academic Librar­ ies and Intellectual Freedom” (by Paul B. Cors); and some photocopies about the controversy surrounding Daddy’s Roommate in the New York City area from the New York Newsday. These packets were distributed to the Faculty Senate Library Committee members, the Uni­ versity president, and the university relations director. They proved to be extremely effec­ tive, presenting an organized, business-like summary o f the information involved, and they were positively received. The Library Committee was finally convened with myself, the library director, and the uni­ versity relations director present. The library director is a voting member o f the committee; the university relations director and I were there to act as resource persons if needed. This was a new assignment for this committee and the members needed to examine the role intellec­ tual freedom plays in libraries and the role aca­ demic freedom plays on campus (and in their classrooms), as well as their personal and pro­ fessional opinions. By the end o f the meeting, the committee passed the following statement: “The duties of the Library Committee are to assist the library in development and use o f policies concerning institutional resources. This committee reviewed the procedures of the library in procurement o f this material. The library followed procedures o f selec­ tion as set forth in the accepted policies. As a committee, we endorse the “Collection Policy Statement (1984)” which includes a statement of censorship. We endorse that policy which states no censorship will be exercised. Therefore, we recommend that the re­ consideration request be denied.” Waiting for a reaction This recommendation was forwarded on to the university’s president who in turn endorsed the concept o f diversity in the library’s collection. The president then met with the minister who filed the reconsideration form and explained the university’s position. Then it was over. We waited for the aftermath. What would the con­ sequences of the whole ordeal be? It turned out there were no marches on the library’s doorsteps or angry letters to the edi­ tor. In fact, the incident didn’t seem to go be­ yond the campus. Perhaps we had overesti­ mated people’s interest or awareness. The local newspaper didn’t even pick up the story. It never became a public controversy like past censorship incidents in Minot, which involved the public school system. Perhaps we were just lucky. Obviously going through this process makes you examine your operation and pro­ cedures. For a time we considered changing the name o f the collection. We received input from some people that the name “Children’s Collection” sounds like its intended audience is children (despite the fact that no one under the age of 18 can check materials out o f the library). The name “Juvenile Literature Collec­ tion” was considered but never utilized, as it was really just a cosmetic change. We had more than one suggestion of restricting access to the collection. O f course, the consequences o f this were politely explained and the idea rejected. A lw ays be prepared for challenges It turned out the major consequence was our (Censorship cont. on page 83) February 1994 / 79 February 1994/83 The graphic designs w e used worked very well for brochures, bookmarks, and buttons, but were not effective for communicating our message on posters. The messages “Don’t eat or drink in the library” and “Don’t make noise in the library” appeared in small print at the bottom o f the posters. The small print was in­ tended to provoke interest and encourage the viewer to take a closer look. One reason that people were not drawn to read the small print may have been because o f the height at which many posters had to be hung. Recommendations The group recommends the following actions to others who want to institute a similar cam­ paign in their library: 1) Have a code o f conduct in place before you begin the campaign. Both patrons and em­ ployees must know what is expected of them. 2) Closely examine the kinds o f problems most common in your library and where they occur. 3) Devise a plan to sell your campaign. Cal­ culate your costs and explore free sources of assistance. Check to see if a class can help. 4) Time the campaign so that things are in place at the beginning o f the fall semester. 5) Be prepared to rethink your position on food, drink, and noise issues. Achieving group consensus requires some compromise. 6) Gain administrative and staff commitment to the campaign. Signs alone w on’t change behavior. ■ (Indiana co n t.from page 75) o f the IU Department o f Afro-American Stud­ ies. For more information call (812) 855-8547. Although the aforementioned African Ameri­ can Studies collections are each housed in three different locations on the IU Bloomington cam­ pus, fundraising efforts are underway to build a new facility which could accommodate all three archives. About $2.5 million in private do­ nations must be raised to match state funding for the new building which will be named the Neal Marshall Black Culture Center. The new center is named after the first African American alumnus of IU, Marcellus Neal, 1895, and the first African American alumna of IU, Frances Marshall, 1919. To make a donation to the Neal Marshall Center, write to the IU Foundation, P.O. Box 500, Showalter House, Bloomington, IN 47402, or call (812) 855-8311. ■ (Censorship co n t.fro m page 78) heightened awareness o f the importance o f preparation for a censorship challenge. The whole process took one and a half months, but it seemed to drag out longer, perhaps pro­ longed by a sense o f insecurity or not knowing what to expect next. Censorship incidents can take a tremendous toll on a community, as evidenced in Cum­ berland County, North Carolina, where the pres­ ence o f Daddy’s Roommate and Heather Has Two Mommies (Alyson, 1989) on library shelves has delayed the construction o f five library branches.2 As academic librarians w e hadn’t been lulled into complacency, but nonetheless were surprised when it happened to us. The groundwork o f the past (the library’s “Collec­ tion Policy Statement,” and the affirmation of the concept o f intellectual freedom) proved to be invaluable. Six months after w e received the initial letter of complaint, we are in the midst of revising and updating our collection development statement. This experience will make us examine more closely the section on censorship and intellectual freedom, so rou­ tinely included in collection development poli­ cies, but never really expected to be used. Notes 1Mary Jo Godwin, “Conservative Groups Con­ tinue Their Fight to Ban Daddy’s Roommate,” American Libraries 23 (December 1992): 968. 2Michael J. Sadowski, “Book Controversy De­ lays New Branches,” School Library Journal 39 (May 1993): 12. ■ (Letters co nt.from page 80) ography, medieval French philology as well as medieval French philological bibliography. Why should a university bother to hire faculty in medieval French philology, or in chemistry, or in philosophy, if its librarians can teach and perform worldly research in these and all other subjects (as McKinzie seems to claim)? What librarians teach is (best called) BI, or (a bit less well called) documentation, or (even less well called) library skills. But to teach re­ search simpliciter, o f both kinds and in all sub­ jects— such a suggestion is on the face o f it unaware both o f what such researchers do and o f the meaning o f the words with which we describe them and their products.—J. M. Perreault, head o f special collections, the Uni­ versity o f Alabama in Huntsville ■