2020-06-05 SPLAT Curiosity Report: Volume 5, Issue 9
Featured Story
Freedom to Read
Recently my supervisor gave each public services staff member the assignment to read The Freedom to Read Statement, which is a joint statement put together by the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers that argues that [t]he freedom to read is essential to our democracy. After giving the document an initial read through I started thinking about why the freedom to read is such a fundamental aspect of democracy.
While contemplating this question I had an interesting opportunity to share my ideas with my husband. One night we were watching an episode of the television show Avatar: The Last Airbender entitled The Earth King. In this episode of the show we see that a secret society called the Dai Li has kept it under wraps that the world is at war in order to try to protect the people. They don’t allow any news of the war to be shared among the people or even with the king of the country. Ultimately this leads to the downfall of the kingdom because when the war comes to their door the king is unable to make any educated decisions about a course of action. After watching this episode I shared several passages from the Freedom to Read Statement with my husband, including the following:
Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the less able to deal with controversy and difference.
I know that it was only a television show, but I felt like it truly demonstrated the words of this statement, that by not allowing the people to read and experience different ideas then it leaves them vulnerable and less able to adapt to the changes happening in their world.
This was a powerful reminder to me of why we try to maintain balanced collections in the library, collections that show differing viewpoints and ideas. Everyone should have the ability to choose what they read and have the right to make up their own minds about how they feel about it without someone else dictating their feelings and thoughts for them. I feel like this is a particularly important time for us to remember this idea as we continue to face overwhelming political tensions in our country. We should take the time to encourage those around us to read up on topics themselves and look at things from different points of view. Even if we will not ultimately agree with each other we can at least appreciate what the other side has to say if we keep our minds open.
I encourage everyone reading this to review the Freedom to Read Statement which is available on ALA’s website under advocacy resources. It is a short document that is well worth the read.
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement
– Jackie Woods, Marshall Public Library
Fail Forward
We’ve all been there. You pour your heart into a program, and no one shows up. You try something new, and you fall on your face. Sound familiar? Fail Forward is the place to share your failures, and give you the opportunity to share what you learned from them. Did you promote your program in a different way after no one showed up? Maybe you took a new approach to the new thing you were excited about? Awesome! Share your story via our online form so others can learn, and realize that failure is often part of the process.
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Drones
Did you see the video made in Shanghai, China about their Drone Display for New Years? Take a look if you haven’t seen this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh3-Mvrp1Lc
Here is a conversation that a coworker and I shared about this video:
(Me:) Wow look at this. Isn’t it amazing these are drones?
(Jane:) Drones are amazing!
(Me:) We need to up our game this next year, don’t you think!
(Jane:) I don’t think the library has a budget big enough to buy 2000 drones.
(Me:) Laughing, I meant the United States!
Then we both had a good laugh. Miscommunication can make a funny story.
Update: I went back to look at this video because it was way too unbelievable. Shanghai was doing a drone display that was moving and synchronized. Going deeper into learning about this I found articles about how it was staged and not real. Fact Checking and looking deeper into something we find amazing on the internet is important. I immediately started questioning the why behind the reason this is on the internet. The reasons I don’t know. We still need to up our game when it comes to fact checking, especially at the library that we are providing correct information to the public. Take the time to fact check and look a little deeper into things.
– Eric Hovey, Ada Community Library
Crush Corner
Is there a library you follow on social media who is always doing new and exciting things? How about a blog you follow that inspires you? What about a new idea, book, or resource that you want to share? Library Crush Corner is a place for those working in Idaho libraries to share what inspires them, and who or what they’re crushing on… in a professional sense. Share your story via our online form so we can publish it in a future issue!
College of Western Idaho Library Wins the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award
Congratulations to the College of Western Idaho Library for winning the prestigious Excellence in Academic Libraries Award! Just over ten years old, CWI’s LIbrary is resourceful, innovative, and dedicated to serving its students and community through great services and resources. It’s clear that both the students and professors at CWI value and appreciate their library, with many submitting positive feedback and sending in letters of support for the award. Like many libraries in Idaho, CWI makes a lot out of a little, and is making a big difference in our state!
– Jessica Martinez, University of Idaho Library
SPLAT explores the ever-evolving library world and supports library folks as they adapt to meet the needs of their communities. Library folk throughout the state of Idaho volunteer to serve on the Special Projects Library Action Team (SPLAT). Learn more about SPLAT at splat.lili.org
SPLAT is brought to you by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible, in part, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LS-00-19-0013-19). The views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.