Mid Semester Analysis and Reflections

I think the thing that has surprised me the most about the LIS profession and our class is the discussion over the democratic ideals held by LIS professional and espoused by the ALA. After doing my master's in political science, I had never expected that the MLIS would include such important political questions as well. Before I was in the class I thought libraries and archives were pretty straight forward. I thought intellectual freedom and equality of access to information was pretty straight forward. I was wrong on both accounts. Growing up in a pretty liberal area the idea of restricting access to a book because of the racial, sexuality, religious, or ethnic themes in a books seemed unfathomable. I also took it for granted that if there something immoral in a book such as large amounts of violence, sex, or foul language, that the book, video, or website would be restricted. The ethics questions and the LIS leader's assignment has really started a war within in myself as to what the right path is to decide what material should be available without restrictions to anyone.

As mentioned above my first thought about what should be restricted is anything that seems immoral, but the question is what is immoral? My opinion of what is immoral is different than many others, and who am I to say that what I believe is immoral is correct. I was mainly thinking books, videos, and websites that had gory violence, explicit sexual scenes, or vulgar language. I found from others that somethings that I would never dream as being immoral were included in the categories. Some libraries were removing or restricting access to books that simply had homosexual characters, that had references to non-christian religions, or that portrayed American in a very negative way. I would never censor or restrict access to media for those reasons alone, but others would. So if we as a society are unable to agree on what is immoral, then how can we have a system based on restricted access to something depending on if it is immoral. After reading 1984 for Banned Book Week, I also now fear that censorship will be used not just for the immoral, but for political reasons as well. The thought that censorship could spiral out of control and help support a totalitarian government is a scary thought indeed.

We often talk about the importance of the library as being a part of the community, and so then is the library at the mercy of the community in regards to what the majority deems immoral, or should the library be the bastion of freedom for the minority to hold on to their own beliefs? These are the questions that I find myself struggling with every week in class and when I am working on my homework, and I hope to find an answer to them by the end of the semester. However, I am not sure that I will find an answer to them that quickly. I have a feeling that as this semester goes on, as I get my degree, and as I become a professional I will continue to struggle with what I think is appropriate for young patrons to experience compared to what is expected of me as a librarian.

Right now I would say that I feel like there should be restrictions still on indecent materials for minor patrons, but that there should also be an easy path for those patrons to get access to the materials with parental consent. The only real way to decide what is currently indecent is what is labeled a indecent for minors by law. While others say that young patrons should not need parental consent to see the materials, or that it is the parents responsibility to check on what the child is experiencing at the library, I think it takes away from the library's role as being part of the community. If the library is pitting the child against the parent, then the library becomes the enemy of the adult and can cause negative attitudes toward the library. This could create an adult community that fears to allow to send its children to the library. However, if parents are given the chance to take responsibility for what their child experiences at the library, then they will be more supportive of it and its mission.  Children can be assured that with parent permission they can access materials, or when they become adults that those materials will be present and available to them without restriction.

With each new week of class discussions and each new week of assignments, I find myself returning to this internal debate over restrictions and censorship towards the minor patrons. While I have no qualms over unrestricted and uncensored access to materials for adults, I still have reservations over minor access to those same materials. I look forward to the rest of this semester, my degree, and my career to continue debating this topic for years to come. I hope in the end that whatever my actions are, that they are what is best for society as a whole. If only it were easier to decide what is best for everyone.

LIS Professional Associations

While many in the LIS program will be looking forward to working as librarians, I am most looking forward to the work that I will be doing as an archivist. Seeing as I a plan to be an archivist once I have finished this degree, it is important for me to be aware of the various professional associations available for me to join as an archivist. I am already aware of the Society of American Archivists (SAA) as Wayne State has a chapter that meets once a month (http://www2.archivists.org/). I went to the first meeting this year, and I was inspired to learn more about the association. The SAA is a national association though, and I was also interested in a more local association to join, and I found out that there is a Michigan Archival Association (MAA) as well (http://miarchivists.wordpress.com/).

Both of the groups were started by professionals working in the archival field. The SAA began in 1936 and the MAA was started in 1958. Since then both have committed themselves to advancing the archival profession through education, cooperation with other associations and institutions, and by creating awareness about the importance of archival work. Both are very active in producing literature on the archival profession. The MAA newsletter is called Open Entry and is distributed to its members twice a year. The MAA has also produced several other articles on various aspects on archival work dating back to 1969. The MAA is a small association though with only about one hundred current members, and so it cannot produce on the scale of the SAA. The SAA has two regular publications, special newsletters to report updates on important topics, as well as other special pamphlets and articles. The two regular publications are the American Archivist journal and the bi-monthly Archival Outlook newsletter. 

Both associations are also active in the social media realm. Once again the smaller MAA does not have as many social media connections or post as much, but they do have a presence. The MAA has a Facebook and has links to other archival blogs around the world. You can also sign up to have MAA updates sent to you by email. The MAA website has regular updates and links to other archival associations around the globe. The SAA website has even more links the MAA to other associations, information about the profession, information about the SAA, and many more resources for archivists. The SAA has a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, and an international rss feed. The SAA site also includes regular updates about the SAA and other archival news. 

The MAA and the SAA both have dues for their membership, but the SAA has different levels of membership. The MAA membership needs to be renewed annually, but it gets you a subscription to Open Entry, a copy of the MAA directory, and reduced rates to the MAA workshops.  The SAA has three levels of individual membership, and an institutional membership. All types of membership need to be renewed every year. The individual memberships are full, student, and associate memberships. All individual members of the SAA have access to the American Archivist journal and the Archival Outlook newsletter. SAA individual members also get access to special discounts, mentoring, career networking, and access to the SAA member directory. Full members dues are based on the member's salary as a professional, and they are eligible for elected offices in the SAA and can vote on SAA matters. The student membership is fifty dollars and allows them to hold appointed offices and to vote on all SAA matters. The associate membership is one hundred dollars for those in the United States and one hundred twenty-five dollars for those outside of the United States. Associate members are only given the base membership advantages listed above. Institutional members have two levels of membership. Sustaining members pay five hundred fifty dollars year, and get to choose one representative eligible for SAA offices, two copies of their publications, a copy of all SAA books published, and discounts for their books, meetings, and workshops. Regular institutional members do not have the copies of the publications, but still enjoy the other benefits for three hundred dollars a year. 

I do not think that I would join the MAA right now as it seems like it would be more important to me as a professional in Michigan. The Open Entry has a lot of information on important events across Michigan, but it only comes out twice a year, and I can get that same information from the advisors at Wayne State. The MAA is a small group with few resources and it would not be integral to my development as an archivist, but I would think it would be good for the MAA and Michigan for me to join. If I become an archivist in Michigan I would definitely join the MAA and hope to be an important leader within the group. I have already thought about joining the SAA as a student and as a professional archivist. The benefits as a students are not that great, but extra discounts on workshops and books might be worth it. Also it is not that expensive as a student to join the SAA. I can already read the American Archivist as a student at Wayne State, and that to me is the greatest benefit of the membership. Since I already have free access to the American Archivist it makes me think twice about joining the SAA, but there are still other important benefits that would possibly be worth it. As a professional, the benefits are worth it and it is pretty cool that is based on your salary. So if you are making less you pay less, and that would make it very accessible to me as a professional. Being a member of the SAA as a professional archivist seems like a must for anyone serious about their profession. So I would definitely join the SAA as a professional archivist.