intellectual freedom 2.15 pp 801xs

7/30/2019 Intellectual Freedom 2.15 PP 801XS

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Meghan Bing, Karinne Hiltonand Christina Magnifico

Information Ethics:

Intellectual Freedom


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Case #2.15

The university library was a government repository library and, as such,

remained open to the public for use. An elderly woman had used the

library for years and enjoyed looking through the reports and materials

the government produced. She noticed, however, that more of the

materials were only available on CD and online. Her arthritis preventedher from spending too much time in front of a computer and she asked

the librarian how she could continue to read the materials in print. "We

only make available the materials the government sends and we can

not print out copies for you." The woman maintained that it was her

right to be able to read the materials in an easy and accessible way.


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Step 1: Hard Facts:

-Library is a government depository

-A patron enjoys reading print materials

-Materials have been migrated to electronic format

-Due to physical disability, patron can no longer readmaterials

-Patron requests print access to materials, but is denied

-Library denial: "We can only make available the materials

provided by the government"-Patron disagrees


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Step 2: Identification

- Possible Copyright infringement

- Exceptional service for ALL

- Improper use of library resources

-Funding restrictions

-Technological divide


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Step 3: Evaluation of the Moral

Dilemma

Is it right for the library to refuse to provide access tomaterials?

Yes NoThe duty of the library is to promote

open access to information

The library must ensure accessibility

for all patrons

Physical conditions preventingaccess to information must be

provided for*

(*See next slide)

The library can only provide

materials to which they have

access

Technology allows more efficient

methods of information accessLibrary collections are sometimes

maintained with volume of usage

in mind


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53.1.20 Services to Persons with Disabilities (Arthritis can fall under ADA regulations)

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution mandates the right of all persons to free expression and the corollary right

to receive the constitutionally protected expression of others. A person's right to use the library should not be denied or

abridged because of disabilities. The library has the responsibility to provide materials for the interest, information, and

enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. (See also the Library Bill of Rights.) When information

in libraries is not presented in formats that are accessible to all users, discriminatory barriers are created. Adopted 2009.

ALA - Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy

4. Collections

Library materials must be accessible to all patrons including people with disabilities. Materials must be available to

individuals with disabilities in a variety of formats and with accommodations, as long as the modified formats and

accommodations are reasonable, do not fundamentally alter the librarys services, and do not place an undue burden

on the library. Examples of accommodations include assistive technology, auxiliary devices and physical assistance.

5. Assistive Technology

Well-planned technological solutions and access points, based on the concepts of universal design, are essential for

effective use of information and other library services by all people. Libraries should work with people with disabilities,

agencies, organizations and vendors to integrate assistive technology into their facilities and services to meet the needs

of people with a broad range of disabilities, including learning, mobility, sensory and developmental disabilities. Library

staff should be aware of how available technologies address disabilities and know how to assist all users with library

technology.

*ADA Upheld By ALA Code


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STEP 4: Solutions

The following solutions have been chosen by several real life librarians:

The library might offer to help this patron by printing some of the

documents. This would likely be done for a per page fee (10-15).

One librarian indicated willingness to print documents without charge,

if they were short.-Bryan Voell, Johnson County library Blue Valley Assistant director;

Lori Mangan, North Kansas City Public L ibrary Assistant director

Public Services, The University of Kansas Medical Center, A.R. Dykes Library

Text to Audio Conversion Software or other Assistive devices-Bryan Voell

Arrange more comfortable seating situation to ease arthritic

complaints during computer use.-Lori Mangan, North Kansas City Public Library Assistant director

Consensus: We believe the patron has a right to the material, as they are government

documents not subject to copyright. Even if they were, the library is able to provide enough

alternatives that the patron could access the materials comfortably


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Will it stand up outside of the

library?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?


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References

|Association of Specialized and Cooperative

Library Agencies. (2006, December 4). Library Servicesfor People with Disabilities Policy|

|. Retrieved March 13, 2013, from |

http://www.ala.org/ascla/asclaissues/libraryservices

Buchanan, E.A. & Henderson, K.A. (2009). Case Studies

in Library and Information Science Ethics. Jefferson, NC &

London: McFarland & Company, Inc.

Services to Persons with Disabilities:

An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights


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"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard

even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty

he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself."

- Dissertations on First Principles of Government, ThomasPaine

"Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most

dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-Americanact that could most easily defeat us"

- Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas,

"The One Un-American Act"


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intellectual freedom 2.15 pp 801xs

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