The American Library Association interviewed Ed Kieczykowski, the director of the San Bernardino County Library, about his decision to remove the book Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics from circulation after a patron complained. His explanation:
“99% of the book is perfectly okay, but there are a couple of pretty graphic scenes, especially one showing sex with a big hamster, that are not especially endearing to our community standards.” He said that after seeing those pages, it was hard to defend keeping the book on open shelves, adding that it was a “telling fact that only 20 public library systems in the state owned the title” despite getting very positive reviews.
Hmm. Yet it was county supervisor Bill Postmus, not Kieczykowski, who took credit for removing the book.
Kieczykowski told AL that the library brought County District Supervisor Bill Postmus in and made him a part of the review process. “It was a real educational experience for him on the mechanics of reconsidering a book,” he said. “We took him through the challenge request, we showed him the book reviews, showed him the book, and made him a part of the entire process.”
Yes, but why was he there? Shouldn’t that decision be left up to the library? It smells like political pressure to me. And Kieczkowski’s last comment strikes me as a cop-out:
Kieczykowski added that adult patrons who want to read the book would have convenient access through interlibrary loan from the neighboring Riverside County system.
Well, yeah, unless someone in Riverside County complains and their library system caves as well.
[...] Update: MangaBlog has also posted links to an interview with the library head. It looks to me that, with a political change of power coming up for the library chain, he’s trying to make the best of a bad situation. I wonder what the library would do if patrons requested the book through inter-library loan? 1 comment so far [...]
It is a shame what is happening to our libraries. Everything that the library has stood for, in terms of free access to information, impartiality to content, and a duty to protect and promote the first amendment is at stake. These are not ostentatious claims; these are the outlined directives as stated in San Bernardino County Library’s policy manual. Based upon one complaint, and a whole lot of prodding by political forces, control of the library system has been wrested from librarians and placed into the hands of politicians.
The SBCL director has stated that 99% of the book is okay except for the few pages that are in question. And yet, it is also SBCL’s policy to judge a work as a whole and not out of excerpt. The book is a work of nonfiction and details the history of Japanese manga. If a historical work of this magnitude conveniently excluded such aspects of Japanese artistic culture, however offensive to certain individuals, then the book itself no longer qualifies as historical representation of Japanese manga.
It is not just one book that is at risk, everything that the library is (or was) has been undermined. At the county library’s official website, found here http://www.sbcounty.gov/library/home/default.aspx?page=aboutus/aboutus.ascx&ptitle=About%20Us it is stated that “The library upholds the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and The Freedom to Read Statement as well as the American Film and Video Association’s Freedom to View Statement.” If the politicians mentioned in the Daily Press article found here http://www.vvdailypress.com/2006/114493343435896.html have their way, the library will no longer subscribe to any of the freedoms listed above. Already, the county has appointed its first “Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer.” Although the individual appointed has a very impressive resume (http://www.sbcounty.gov/pressreleases/docs/1415sageappointmentrelease4-14-06.pdf), especially in regards to Sports Ethics, one glaring omission is any experience in the field of Library Science. It is unclear how this new “Ethics Officer” fits into the library structure. What is certain is that the person begins work on Monday.
What is happening here should serve as a warning to all Americans. The first amendment is a right, but never a guarantee. The next time you loan out a book, you may have to consult a lawyer first.
[...] Manga Blog>> Follow Up: http://www.manga4kids.com/wordpress/?p=273 [...]