Intellectual freedom and censorship in academic libraries

Intellectual Freedom in Libraries

In today's academic world intellectual freedom is a very important issue. In this paper various factors which are affecting intellectual freedom have been discussed along with efforts that need to be made in order to make the access of information possible for all. The issues being faced mainly by the librarians regarding the protection of confidential information of the library users have also been discussed in this paper. Furthermore the paper focuses on the important roles that can be played by the librarians in guiding and educating the people regarding the proper use of information.

Intellectual freedom is the liberty to express opinions in the academic world, the freedom of access to the information and the freedom of using that information (in a legal manner) without the fear of your confidential information being exploited. Intellectual freedom is very important for the academic growth of any society or country. People need to feel free in making use of the libraries and the information present in them rather than fearing that their personal information stored in the library computers will be misused (Arko-Cobbah, 2011).

It was in 1939 that the idea of intellectual freedom was recognized for the first time by the American Library Association. However, it was in 1974 that the Intellectual Freedom Manual's first edition was published. A lot of important updates have been brought to the manual since then and in 2006 its 7th edition was published. Updates included in the manual are "(1) Resolution on Retention of Library Usage Records, (2) RFID in Libraries, (3) Resolution in Workplace Speech, (4) Minors and Internet Interactivity, (5) Material on Social Networks, (6) a discussion on Services to Persons with Disabilities, (7) Code of Ethics Explanatory Statements, (8) coverage of the latest on the U.S.A. Patriot Act, (9) materials on education and intellectual freedom, and (10) various other updates" (as referenced in Joseph, 2012).

The library is considered a place where knowledge can be achieved by the people regardless of their race, gender, background or ethnicity. This is a true fact and it has been noted by a number of authors as well that the major goal of the library is to provide the people with required information without taking note of their point-of-view. The library is merely a channel to access the required information. Intellectual freedom, in the truest sense doesn't promote any causes, is not biased towards any point-of-views and promotes no movements. If the researcher or reader is restricted in a particular point-of-view it might mean that he/she has an incomplete and narrow subject view. An example of such a case can be the banning of a controversial book from the library or allowing only a selected group of patrons to view it (Joseph, 2012).

Expurgation is another kind of censorship according to which the Library Bill of Rights is violated. Expurgation means doing something in a physical manner to the library material so that the complete access to the library could be restricted. An example of expurgation can be a librarian covering up some part of a book or novel because he/she thinks that it might offend some of the patrons. Intellectual Freedom Committee made a statement in response to the mutilation of books. The statement emphasizes that the restriction should be imposed on the Expurgation of any material of the library without taking into consideration the desires or rights of the library consumers (Joseph, 2012).

The phrase "intellectual freedom" means exactly what someone would expect after reading the two words. Intellectual freedom means the right, ability and freedom of the individuals to allow their minds to take them wherever they want and to search for knowledge and understanding and therefore, ideas and information. The people who understand the significance of intellectual freedom completely believe that individuals should be able to access all kinds of information such as radio, books, television, articles, film etc. without any kind of limitations on the basis of the content being displayed through these channels (Arko-Cobbah, 2011).

Intellectual freedom in the U.S. is protected mostly by the first amendment. Also, denying intellectual freedom means one is denying the basic principle of democracy according to which an ordinary citizen will reject the bad and accept the good by exercising his/her critical judgment (American Association of School Librarians 1998, 156). Even with these democratic principles, which are present in this country, there are still those who want to restrict access to information by using various means including censorship.

A significant threat being faced by intellectual freedom in the 21st century. For instance, in Oppenheim and Smith's (2004) opinion censorship usually is when the access of something is stopped by someone. It can be noted that throughout history censorship has been made use of by the groups and individuals in order to control and prevent the dissemination and access of information and ideas. A number of individuals can want particular information to not spread and they might have several reasons for wanting to restrict the information. It was asserted by Saykanic that mostly groups or individuals try to deny or restrict access to materials on the basis of ethnic, political, moral, philosophical and religious (2000). Hence ethnicity, politics, morality, philosophy and religion becomes the basis for threats towards intellectual freedom.

Section 2: Literature Review

Keywords like "intellectual freedom" "academic freedom" "library" "libraries" "intellectual freedom in libraries" "academic freedom in libraries" "academic freedom in a library" "intellectual freedom in a library" were used in order to search the library in my university along with the online available material to conduct a systematic analyses. Following are the reports that this search were limited to: a) peer refereed/reviewed (scholarly), b) will be available in the database in full text, c) published between the years of 2000 and 2014.

The results of the research revealed that studies focused on the significance of intellectual freedom and consider it a basic human right. These studies reveal that no society can grow academically and intellectually until and unless it has intellectual freedom. Studies have shown that libraries play a very important role in intellectual freedom. Some of the major issues associated with libraries and intellectual freedom have been mentioned in this paper as well. With the advancement in technology and so much information available online, some other problems have arisen as well, for example the overload and wallowing of information are few of the issues related to such great access to the electronic resources. Librarians can play a very important role here in guiding the students towards proper information and in this way the students can avoid making use of the information that isn't legitimate.

Section 3: Discussion

Intellectual Freedom as a Basic Human Right

Knox (2014) points out that Intellectual freedom is generally seen as a fundamental human right. It is defined as the birth right of each and every person to have freedom to think, freedom to communicate, freedom to generate ideas as well as the right to receive information and the right to pass on information without limitation.

Intellectual freedom is included in the constitutions of most countries. It is also found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 in the United Nations (UN). It states that every individual has the right to have freedom to express, communicate and the right to pass on information through any media without limitation. Most countries, both democracies and dictatorships subscribe to this declaration, because intellectual freedom is an important element of human existence. It is also found in a number of other international conventions including the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 10(1)) as well as the International Convention on Political and Civil Rights (Article 19) (Knox, 2014).

Rubel (2014) asserts that intellectual freedom is of importance to all those who work in the information industry, both at personal and professional levels. At personal levels, we are affected because we exist as part of a society, and professionally because we have to sort through our collections and decide which material to keep and which ones need to be rejected (Rubel, 2014).

Morrissey (2012) in his study asserts that for a society to be regarded as liberal, its citizens need to have access to all kind of information, regardless of their status in society because this ensures that the government is always engaging in activities that serve the interests of the citizens. Every citizen needs to have access to information that is current in respect to what is happening in the country and internationally, without too much censorship that is too much to the extent of hindering their intellectual freedom. In this respect, libraries serve an important role in the society because they are the places where this information can be accessed, and therefore they must respond to all changes in the country. Intellectual freedom is recognized and supported by many bodies that deal with information such as IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), CILIP (The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), as well as, (ALA) the American Library Association within the Library Bill of Rights.

The Significance of intellectual freedom to the individual

A number of studies have focused on the Significance of intellectual freedom to the individual. These studies point out that individuals are greatly affected by information and therefore intellectual freedom is key for individual and societal growth and development. They point out:

When people are allowed to think freely, they become creative and self-driven (Sturges, 2008).

They are capable of providing basic needs to their dependants and also self-educating on the best kinds of food to consume to improve their health (Sturges, 2008).

These people are able to thrive in the workplace and to they have qualities which are attractive to employers (Sturges, 2008).

The value of democracy is likely to be realized in a society where intellectual freedom is encouraged (Sturges, 2008).

The creation of a free society has benefits to the economy too. Scholars argue that no country in which democracy is practiced has there occurred a major food crisis. The reason for this is that a population which has intellectual freedom responds rapidly to resolve the problem of food shortage in any part of the country. The speed with which a democratic government responds to such a problem is also remarkable. If this argument is to be applied to the information industry, a conclusion can be drawn that sustainable growth can only be achieved if intellectual freedom has a place in the information society (Sturges, 2008).

Since the information society depends on creativity to flourish, it would be very hard to exist in a system where creativity and freedom of thought are suppressed and censored (Sturges, 2008).

Notions of academic freedom play a huge role in making the profession of librarianship more attractive and dangerous to a certain extent. Intellectual freedom as provided for in the Universal Declaration will possibly be a major issue to the information society in the near future (Sturges, 2008)

For intellectual freedom policies to be effective and sustainable, factors that take into consideration local dynamics and national expectations as well as political and legal issues have to be included in the formulation process. Most librarians when asked about key issues surrounding intellectual freedom, they describe the major problem areas as far as intellectual freedom is concerned include: access to computers, the government requesting access to circulation records, and the impact of local state and federal laws in formulation of policies. They illustrate the best way to come up with intellectual freedom policies that are acceptable both legally and agreeable to the user.

Critical Intellectual Freedom Issues currently facing libraries

Intellectual freedom and American law enforcement agencies

US law enforcement agencies see intellectual freedom as a threat to national security. A number of cases have been reported by them which indicate their revulsion against this term. For instance, Case (2008) in his study asserts that for a long time in the U.S., intellectual freedom in academic libraries was left to be monitored by the employees and policies of individual libraries. However, it came to the knowledge of the FBI in 1987 that there were foreign agents were engaging in illegal methods of collecting information from libraries. They were doing this through hiring agents in the public libraries to do the job for them. As a result, the law enforcement agencies had to get more involved in monitoring the activities in libraries (Case, 2008).

Similarly, Matz (2008) in his study argues that the U.S.A. PATRIOT has been in force since 2001 and it has greatly impacted how academic libraries formulate their policies, rules and regulations. It is also very likely that a National Security Letter has been circulated to academic libraries, further, impacting the way academic libraries conduct their activities. The Communications Assistance for law enforcement Act which was passed in 1994 has been amended to include internet service providers, including those of many campuses. Both national security and personal freedom are important matters to individual Americans and to the country as a whole, but due to the emergence of international terrorism, it's getting harder and harder have unmonitored personal freedom without compromising national security, a task which is even harder for academic libraries.

Cultural diversity and Intellectual Freedom

Helton (2010) in his study point out that it is crucial that institutions of higher learning understand that although intellectual freedom is part of the academic endeavor, and it is protected from most types of censorship, that freedom has to be monitored due to the current situation in the country and internationally. It is however the duty of librarians to be prepared to defend intellectual freedom as much as possible so that both national security and intellectual freedom are upheld in a way that does not totally wipe out this freedom.

He emphasizes the dire need for intellectual freedom as today, more than at any other time in history; the student population in many campuses in the U.S. is very diverse. Students come from many different ethnicities, backgrounds, and ages. There are male and female students just like before, but now there is even another gender, transgender students. These students all bring their knowledge and experiences to the academic libraries, with the intention of gathering information (Helton, 2010).

Daniel (2013) points out that current cultural diversity trends needs to be taken into consideration when an intellectual freedom plan is being formulated. A plan that will effectively safeguard the freedom of library consumers to seek and use information. One major characteristic that sets apart today's library users from older generations is their increased technological knowhow. They are able to access information online without much difficulty. Their definition of personal privacy varies from the definition of older generation. They value their privacy but when their methods of collecting information do not display this respect for personal and public privacy. For instance, students simply collect information, decide which parts are important and send it without any concern for copyright and privacy. They may also find information from Google and take it to be true without considering the credibility of the sources. There is a need to teach university students to mediate information, and libraries seem to be the best places for students to learn this skill. Maloney (2012) notes that for intellectual freedom to thrive, library consumers need to be aware of the information available in libraries. Librarians on the other hand need to be aware of the most common methods that consumers use in order to assist them while at the same time respecting their different searching and learning style, which will help them learn more from libraries. When there is cooperation between consumers who seek information and librarians who are willing to provide instruction to those who seek it, intellectual freedom will flourish.

Censorship:

As it has been discussed above as well and in the opinion of ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (2007) too censorship means excluding or deleting parts of published materials as well as the efforts to proscribe, prohibit, label, ban, restrict or suppress materials. The main reason behind the concern of ALA in the removal or limitation of particular materials was because of the belief of the organization that the people should have the freedom to express their views and ideas in a free manner within a democratic society. It was in 1939 that the Library Bill of Rights was made so that unbiased attaining of the selection of materials could be promoted and a balanced collection and open rooms for meeting could be provided to the public.

Patron privacy and confidentiality

Today, one of the major concerns of the librarians' when it comes to the privacy and confidentiality of the patrons is regarding their record and information protection as, today the online library systems retain and create records of the users when they make use of the library computers. Particularly in the United States this practice has been intensified even more due to the national security concerns since September 11,2001 (Danner and Bintliff, 2006:11). It is mostly the U.S. Patriot Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) 2001 which comes to mind when the library patrons' confidentiality and privacy is mentioned.

We live in a time when the use of library doesn't only mean looking at and reading the books therefore, the concerns of library users and the librarians have extended a lot farther than just protecting the circulation records. The problems associated with protecting the computer databases containing information regarding the library users can further be described by the attempt that was made in 2005 by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to use a national security letter in order to get any and all of the subscriber information, access logs and billing information of any individual in the Connecticut library (Foster 2006). Protecting the confidential information of the library users is very important for the intellectual as well as academic freedom. It is the responsibility of the librarians to ensure, in an ethical manner the access of the patrons to the information that they need from the library and not observe what the patrons are looking for.

The librarians and all the people to whom the intellectual freedom is very important, the attempts that are made outside of the library to spy and monitor the activities of the people should be of interest as well.

Other than the challenges which have been mentioned above and that have a direct impact on the intellectual as well as academic freedom, a lot more challenges exists that are being faced by the academic librarians in the U.S. As well as other countries that are said to be 'under-developed' or with 'developing economies.' Mentioned below are a few of the challenges by which the academic libraries are usually affected:

• Escalating costs. In order to have sufficient collection of the international research, the resources need to be re-allocated to the online services. Academic libraries in Africa are trying to make monograph collection of limited range available to the people along with access to e-journals and indexes (Cullen & Calvert 2001:395). This is becoming even harder due to the high exchange rates and the limited access to the foreign exchange.

• Technological innovation. In Africa the academic libraries are struggling to stay up-to-date with the new technology and balancing the needs for the new technology against the need for journals and books.

• Information literacy. It has been told by Arko-Cobbah (2004:266) that in Africa when a student enters a university library, he/she is faced by the problem of dealing with the technology as, the exposure to the information and communications technology (ICT) there isn't all that much and the student faces difficulty in figuring out how to operate the computers to search for what he/she wants. It has further been pointed out by the author that the students often choose the information that they want to use very quickly without properly checking its authenticity. According to McQueen (2003), the overload and wallowing of information are few of the issues related to such great access to the electronic resources. Librarians can play a very important role here in guiding the student s towards valid information and in this way the students can avoid making use of the information that isn't legitimate McQueen (2003).

• Plagiarism. Plagiarism is another issue that often arises when there is such huge amount of information available. When someone else's work, language or idea is represented as one's own the act is said to be plagiarism. As it has been pointed out by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL, 2003) that the students who are information literate understand the social, economic and legal issues which are associated with the use of information and how the information should be accessed and used in a legal and responsible manner. Therefore, similarly the librarians can play a very important role in enlightening the student regarding the proper and legal use of information and the significance of giving proper citations when using someone else's work.

Section 4: Conclusion

In this paper we have focused on the increasing problems being faced by the library users who feel that intellectual freedom has been compromised with the passage of time. It is also an established fact that in today's world uninterrupted information is significant for the progress and prosperity of any nation and this holds especially true for the academic and intellectual community.

Libraries are a major victim of the problems being faced with regards to the intellectual freedom. Librarians feel torn between the need to protect the confidential information of the patrons which can so easily be accessed by the authorities from the computer databases and to let the authorities do what they want to do. This is a significant issue in today's world of internet as; the fear of personal information being misused can make the people hesitant or stop them all together from using the libraries for required information. The authorities need to come up with some policies to assure the people that their confidential information is protected.

The librarians can help their consumers who are not very familiar with the new technologies of internet and computers such as the elderly or the children who don't have a lot of exposure to the information and technology. These librarians can not only help the people look for relevant information but also help them in figuring out which is the relevant and valid information and which isn't. They can also make the people aware about the concepts of plagiarism and the proper and responsible use of knowledge.

By following the helpful tips mentioned above the authorities and librarians can try to reduce the increasing problems associated with intellectual freedom and encourage individuals in making use of the libraries on regular basis so that they could get more comfortable with the changing technologies and stay up-to-date with the rest of the world.