Libraries Unfurled

The ALA was officially founded in 1876 with the resolution, "to enable librarians to do their present work more easily and at less expense.". Over the last 150 years the organization has developed the paramount guiding principles of American librarianship, cultivated and sharpened by conferences, collaborations, legislation, lawsuits, and challenges to the fundamental mission of libraries to defend constitutional freedoms, and remain a neutral community centered haven for all people.

The ALA is, in a nutshell, a professional support institution and library science archive for librarians. This is on par with the National Association of Police Organizations; American Nurses Association, National Society of Professional Engineers, Alaska Municipal League, etc. Libraries are free to utilize or ignore ALA resources.

FALLACY 1 - Collections: Detractors say the ALA dictates what libraries must add to their collections. This is patently false. The ALA may post informational lists of challenged books, or new books by genre but there isn’t any requirement for libraries to view or choose from any list. The same types of lists are distributed by publishers, book vendors, news organizations, book clubs, etc.

FALLACY 2 - CIPA: Detractors say the ALA challenged the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) because they want children to have access to pornography on computers in libraries. This is patently false. It is part of the ALA’s purpose to preserve and protect constitutional first amendment (1A) rights in libraries. When Congress, or state legislatures pass laws that may impinge on those rights, the ALA is compelled to ask the courts to evaluate the law’s constitutional relevance.

In the case of CIPA, the core issue was whether or not installing internet filters on public computers violated citizens’ 1A rights. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled that it did not violate 1A rights because there was a provision in the law that gives libraries the ability to control the filters. Additionally, the law only applies if the library receives federal funding to supplement internet costs when providing free internet access to patrons, which most libraries do.

This case was actually a WIN for citizens, libraries, and the ALA! SCOTUS affirmed the constitutionality of the new law and provided a clear path forward on how & when the law applies, preventing more costly lawsuits.

FALLACY 3 - Marxist Communists: Detractors insist the ALA is a Marxist Communist organization. Libraries are, by design, politically neutral public institutions with collections curated to represent their individual communities. Librarians reflect the entire political spectrum but strive to remain neutral in their work. This is why objective parameters are written into policies and procedures.

The personal political views of some individuals within the ALA do not determine the views of librarians across the country any more than saying every person in the United States must change political parties to match the current U.S. President.