ALA’s Cuban disgrace: One more reason to support Project Gutenberg
If any group is pro-librarian, it’s TeleRead–promoting well-stocked national digital library systems that professionals would run in the States and elsewhere. At the same time we love grassroots efforts such as Project Gutenberg. Why? Careerism on occasion can triumph over common sense. And professional librarians and the usual media suspects mustn’t be the only ones controlling access to information.
The latest example of the need for alternative librarians is the shameful refusal of the American Library Association to go on record against the imprisonment of 14 Cubans who have run libraries not sponsored by the Fidel Castro’s totalitarian government. As reported in today’s New York Times:
Robert Kent, a New York librarian and in 1999 (a year after the independent libraries began) a co-founder of an informal group of librarians and others called Friends of Cuban Libraries, has been pushing the association to speak out on the harassment of the librarians. “For at least four years, the A.L.A. has ignored, covered up or lied about the persecution of people in Cuba whose only crime is to have opened libraries,” he said.After the latest events, Mr. Kent and his supporters asked the association to hold a separate debate on Cuban restrictions that would have included five Cuban librarians–all working for government libraries–who went to the Toronto meeting. They also asked the 64,000-member A.L.A. to pass a formal resolution denouncing censorship in Cuba and demanding the release of the 14 jailed librarians.
In the end, the association allowed an “open mike” discussion with the Cuban librarians after they gave presentations, but deferred a resolution about Cuba to its next meeting in January, saying its members needed more information.
Another ALA excuse? Lack of standard credentials among the operators of lending libraries.
“If you have 100 books in your home and you make them available to friends, are you a librarian?” asked Edward Erazo, the outgoing chairman of the association’s Latin American subcommittee and coordinator of library instruction at Broward Community College in Davie, Fla. “It’s political. It has nothing to do with the fact that they operate independent libraries.”
Oh, come on, Mr. Erazo. The private Cuban collections include books on a number of topics beyond politics, according to Friends, and are far from mere collections of pamphlets. Censorship is censorship. Even though Robert Kent has received financing from anti-Castro groups, this is still a black mark on the ALA’s record, just as Kent said. It’s rather reminiscent of the apathy that former ALA President Mitch Freedman showed toward the plight of David Faucheux, a bright blind librarian who can’t find a job within his chosen profession. Keep in mind that the ALA officials have hardly been shy in censorship battles. But, here, careerism and political correctness triumphed.
What a contrast to journalism in one recent situation. When a freelance writer was jailed in Texas because a thuggish judge said she didn’t qualify for constitutional protections in connection with her investigation of a murder case, many elite members of the press rallied to her aid. Will the ALA do the same for the jailed librarians without Castro-safe institutional ties? Meanwhile an old quote from George Bernard Shaw comes to mind: “All professions are conspiracies against the laity.”
Under TeleRead, yes, as noted, professionals would run the formal library systems. At the same time, however, private and long-range public funding could support Gutenberg-style groups. The most dedicated library pros would understand and in fact applaud. Once again a journalistic analogy comes to mind. If a city has an aggressive underground newspaper, then the smarter mainstream journalists will rejoice–since coverups become harder for power-fixated politicians, well-placed crooks and other greedsters to pull off. Time for librarians to think in similar tems?
Luckily, as shown by resistance to traditional Comstocks, eager to see us all treated like eight year olds, U.S. librarians have stuck up for “the freedom to read.” Too bad the ALA can’t show a similar ‘tude toward Cuba.
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