This essay is the result of a day in Library Studies class. On that day, a girl told the class that “far right” groups should not be allowed to gather in libraries. It is an attitude that is, to say the least, a bad fit for a future librarian – and it, ironically, would likely backfire had she gotten her way.
The single, most clear principal of the American Library Association is that librarians will not discriminate, even if they find someone’s ideas appalling. The ALA Code of Ethics states that “We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources” and “We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources.” This Code was adopted in 1939, at the height of Nazi power and influence.
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