The Mediavilla article about the California libraries and the CLA has a lot of meaty stuff going on, I don't know where to start!
In particular, I was very interested in the ways that librarians self censored themselves at this time period, the ways that paranoia and fear existed long after McCarthy, and their opinion that if a book was challenged, no one would be there to back them up.
Were their fears justified? In what ways have we seen self-censorship already, and how do you think it functioned in libraries for the rest of the cold war? Have librarians become more bold, or could these fears still be justified today?
I'll have more questions about the Burbank attempt at book labeling and the various attempt at legislation for class on Thursday!
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It is remarkable how many of us are "surprised at the surprise." I too am often surprised to hear when librarians practice self-censorship. In part I wonder if this self censorship is a result of librarianship being a profession where you are selecting for others. In one of Fiske's interviews a librarians states "..I do not trust my own judgement. I have traveled a lot...I might seem dangerous to some people." I would like to think that today she would not seem "dangerous" but perhaps, because she is a professional and her experiences are not average, she doesn't feel capable of selecting for the general public. Could that be a cause of some self-censorship? As information professionals are our experiences (in school and out) so different from the general public's that we have to or should practice self-cencorship? (and could that experience of feeling insecure in our selection for others cause low self-esteem?)
Nancy, I think you make a good point. One of the moments that sticks out for me the most about LIS 450 last semester was when Michael Edmonds basically told us that we shouldn't assume that we're the norm. (I think his exact words were "You think you're all normal, but you're not!" :) ) I think he was referring to the fact that we liked reading books and the American public doesn't read as much but that has always stuck out in my mind. And maybe that's where that idea of self-censoring comes into play. I think a lot of librarians understand that their interests and information needs aren't necessarily that of their patrons. So, perhaps it's not that they don't trust their instincts--maybe they're being wise (especially in the times of limited budgets.)
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