Information Ethics: Intellectual Freedom

Meghan Bing, Karinne Hilton and Christina Magnifico

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 prevented her 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.

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 read materials -Patron requests print access to materials, but is denied -Library denial: "We can only make available the materials provided by the government" -Patron disagrees

Step 2: Identification
- Possible Copyright infringement

- Exceptional service for ALL

- Improper use of library resources

-Funding restrictions

-Technological divide

Step 3: Evaluation of the Moral Dilemma

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

Yes
The library can only provide materials to which they have access Technology allows more efficient methods of information access Library collections are sometimes maintained with volume of usage in mind

No
The duty of the library is to promote open access to information The library must ensure accessibility for all patrons Physical conditions preventing access to information must be provided for*
(*See next slide)

*ADA Upheld By ALA Code

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, an d 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.

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 Library 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

Will it stand up outside of the library?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

References
|Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies. (2006, December 4). Library Services for 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

"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, Thomas Paine

"Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us" - Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, "The One Un-American Act"