Dear ARLIS/NA colleagues,
Less than one year ago, I wrote to the ARLIS/NA list
regarding Google censoring images and asking what we
could do as a group to tackle this issue. Only two
people responded. One mentioned the filtering options
(of which I was aware) and the other asked me to write
an article about filtering and the Internet. Through
this research I discovered that the United States
government and especially President Bush’s
administration are actively working toward eliminating
information on moral grounds. They do this in many
ways. The closing of the Florida State library and
the elimination of state art programs are known
examples. Others are more subtle. Publishers are
trying to close down libraries to prevent free
borrowing and are working through the government to
pass legislation.
Last November, I attended a conference held at
Columbia University called “The New Gatekeepers: A
Conference on Free Expression in the Arts.” There
wasn’t a single librarian on any of the panels, but
they discussed libraries throughout the sessions.
When I stood up to remind everyone that librarians are
in a constant struggle to keep free expression in the
arts, we received strong approval for our work. Where
was ARLIS/NA?
The destruction of Iraq libraries and museums is part
of a grand program worldwide to destroy cultures,
prevent free expression in an intellectual manner and
close us down. Information, especially with new
technology, threatens governmental control of the
masses. Why, I ask you does it take the bombing,
burning and looting of institutions 6,000 miles away
before you are all outraged? Perhaps when they were
planning this invasion one and a half years ago, you
might have made a difference. There were plenty of
articles available through databases that gave us
clues. As information specialists, we should have
been more informed.
We can, however begin to think about ways in which we
can make a difference. For instance, the Canadian
Centre for Architecture in Montreal restructured,
fired half of their staff and are now calling their
institution a research centre. Because the librarians
are not union, there was no one to defend them. There
was no one to explain the role of libraries and
librarians who are professionals. ARLIS/NA has the
potential to become advocates for art libraries. We
can begin to do this before another library filled
with rare materials is destroyed or shut down. As
Primo Levi wrote, “If not now, when?”
Susan Travis
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