Catcher in the Rye vs MySpace

Is there really any difference?

One was created by an adult and published through the accepted publishing architecture while the other is a place where anyone can add almost any content anonymously or not with no editors or filters other than other users.  One is text, the other is video, ads, blogs, music, flashing pictures and more.

They both capture teen angst and the thoughts of a young generation.  They both have many adult opponents and proponents.  Both are free expression of what it is to be young and American in their time.  Both foster the creative writing dreams of a generation.

Yet, ask a librarian if you should remove Catcher in the Rye from the YA section and they will turn to you horrified.  How could you suggest we ban a book or otherwise censor our precious books!  Ask the same librarian why they have just restricted access to MySpace on the teen computers and the answer is very different.  Something more like, "To protect them from potentially sharing too much personal information" or "The bandwidth cost is too much for the demand."

These arguments would never hold up with books.  Too much demand for a best seller? Buy 200 copies.  Potentially dangerous information? That's censorship and you can't do it.

Why do we treat new technologies so very differently from old ones?  Because we don't get it.  Kids need social outlets be they online, over the phone or in person.  They will use whatever technology they can to make communication easier and more convenient.  In many ways the server logs and other information available under a warrant make online communication all that much more safe than any other conversation that a teen might have with peers or adults in public places.

Effect of CIPA on teens access in public libraries

As I gear up to address teens and tech in public libraries for a group assignment I thought I would look at CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act) and reflect on how it effects teens access to Internet resources.

From the FCC website

What CIPA Requires

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  Schools and libraries subject to CIPA may not receive the discounts offered by the E-rate program unless they certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene, (b) child pornography, or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors). Before adopting this Internet safety policy, schools and libraries must provide reasonable notice and hold at least one public hearing or meeting to address the proposal.
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  Schools subject to CIPA are required to adopt and enforce a policy to monitor online activities of minors.
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  Schools and libraries subject to CIPA are required to adopt and implement an Internet safety policy addressing: (a) access by minors to inappropriate matter on the Internet; (b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications; (c) unauthorized access, including so-called “hacking,” and other unlawful activities by minors online; (d) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal information regarding minors; and (e) measures restricting minors’ access to materials harmful to them.

Schools and libraries are required to certify that they have their safety policies and technology in place before receiving E-rate funding.

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  CIPA does not affect E-rate funding for schools and libraries receiving discounts only for telecommunications, such as telephone service.
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  An authorized person may disable the blocking or filtering measure during any use by an adult to enable access for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.
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  CIPA does not require the tracking of Internet use by minors or adults.

From this description of what CIPA requires I think the third bullet has the most impact on the restrictions that libraries will put on teen access.  Particularly part "(b) the safety and security of minors when using electronic mail, chat rooms, and other forms of direct electronic communications"  This could include social networking sites, which may lead parents or librarians to restrict those sites in the interest of "safety and security".

My own experience has been that the "safety and security" rationale can lead otherwise strong supporters of IF to blink and restrict access.  Teens in particular are vulnerable to this because the younger generation has a much lower threshold for privacy than most adults.  Teens will share information and stories publicly that adults consider private information.  From the adult perspective this is a dangerous situation in which predators can learn enough about a teen to become a real life threat.

While I understand that there are predators and there is a certain amount of caution that is justified I tend to err on the side of free access rather than restricted access.  By blocking teen use of social networking sites in libraries we place those who cannot afford a computer in their home at a further disadvantage in the growing world of online social interactions.  The dangers on social networking sites do not outweigh their considerable and growing usefulness as a place to connect with people from all over the country and world.  I would advocate attempts to educate parents and teens about the possible dangers from identity thieves and other predators rather than blocking use of popular social networking sites.

Another key point is that while CIPA is a set of requirements that must be met for certain funding aid, it is not a legal requirement and any library that was willing to forgo the aid could disregard the rules.  This may be unlikely because public institutions rarely have enough money, let alone extra to cover a new gap.  However, this loophole is one that I keep in mind so that if future restrictions become tighter than my professional ethics will support I have a possible protest action.

YA Books Challenged in West Bend, Wisconsin

While investigating challenges to books in public libraries I came across a set of challenges to teen books in a Wisconsin public library.  There are actually two separate challenges here, one that draws a lot of attention and one that is much more likely to succeed.

The challenge that has drawn attention from bloggers, the ALA, CNN and others is from a group called the Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU).  They are challenging the book Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block and asking for it to be banned as well as turned over to the group for public burning or other destruction.  The CCLU is also asking for $120,000 dollars in damages for harm to the complainants for exposure to the book in a library display.  This is a deeply disturbing challenge for anyone who supports open access to information, but it has little legal justification and this is not the first stunt suit that the primary lawyer (Robert C. Braun) has put forward.

The challenge that is more insidious is the challenge immediately preceding, and unrelated to, the Baby Be-Bop challenge.  In this case a concerned mother of four, Ginny Maziarka, and her husband have challenged several teen titles for sexually explicit content and positive depictions of being gay.  She does not want the books outright banned, instead to be labeled as sexually explicit and placed in a restricted area for which anyone under 18 must get parental permission.  She has been blogging and set up a community organization that is trying to further these goals.

The board of the West Bend Community Memorial Library (WBCML) unanimously rejected the requested censorship in June of 2009 and promptly lost 4 members of the board when the City Council refused to renew their terms because of this issue.  The four replacement members are thought to be more friendly to the challenge.  However, WBCML was still awarded the Wisconsin ProQuest Intellectual Freedom Award for its work in protecting the IF of West Bend citizens.

In many ways it is the CCLU challenge that may eventually lead to the downfall of Maziarka's challenges because it is the request to burn books that is catching bloggers' and national media attention.  It is, in fact, the shocking bit of the story that made this particular banning stand out more that others throughout the country.

Here are some links to sources on this issue:
ALA Article
Alan Colmes Liberaland
Right Wing Watch blogg on both challenges
Right Wing Watch radio interview of Robert C Braun
Daily News article
Examiner.com article
Journal Sentinal article
CNN
National Coalition Against Censorship blog
2009 Wisconsin ProQuest Intellectual Freedom Award - West Bend Public Library
Ginny Maziarka's blog WISSUP (Wisconsin Speaks Up)