A news article in the St. Petersburg (Florida) Times entitled Columns: Free speech fractured when an easy, elegant solution is pursued
makes a really powerful point about free speech. The article is about two libraries that had a policy of denying the use of their community rooms to any citizens who want them for
The article argues that the libraries simply wanted to maintain the library's political and religious neutrality.political
or religious
purposes, among other things.
Neutrality is not a bad thing, but this is verging on restricting freedom of speech. A library is supposed to be the quintessential free-speech forum. As the article points out,
Listen: American citizens have the right to assemble peacefully to talk about whatever the heck they want.
It's supposed to be messy.
Messiness and disorder must be really hard for librarians to accept, but libraries are not just a place for silence and study any more. Last quarter when I was doing online database exercises, looking for information on intermediation, I kept finding articles about how libraries were being used as forums for intermediation between various groups or individuals. Libraries are community places, and they have to be open to free and uncensored speech of all kinds.
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