Original Post on ALA Members Connect by Eamon Tewell
When Collections are Considered Controversial: Stories from Academic Library Workers
Tuesday, March 30th, 3-4pm Eastern/12-1pm Pacific
Register here: https://forms.gle/U3dUaLwpL94iVnNWA
Sponsored by the ACRL Professional Values Committee
Join us for three fascinating presentations on how academic library workers have responded to controversies and challenges related to collection development and promotion activities, from controversial medical texts, to art books and visual materials depicting sexuality, to racial justice resource guides. The presenters will also discuss how core library values did or did not factor into their approaches and the actions they took. For brief presentation descriptions, please see the end of this message.
The panel will include three 15-minute presentations followed by 15 minutes for Q&A, featuring the following speakers and topics:
The Pernkopf Atlas of Anatomy: A Medical Ethics Breach Hiding in Plain Sight
- Laurel Scheinfeld, Health Sciences Librarian, Stony Brook University
- Jamie Saragossi, Head of Health Sciences Library, Stony Brook University
- Kate Kasten-Mutkus, Head, Humanities and Social Sciences, Stony Brook University
The Desk as the Fig Leaf: Erotic Art Books in Library Collections
- Madison Sullivan, Fine and Performing Arts Librarian, University of Washington
Taking PRIDE in Our Values: Anti-Racism Resources at UCSF Library
- Sarah McClung, Head of Collection Development, University of California, San Francisco
- Josephine Tan, Education and Information Consultant, Clinical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
If you are unable to attend this session but wish to view a recording later, please register and indicate your interest in receiving an email that will include a link to the video of the presentation.
To register, please visit the following link: https://forms.gle/U3dUaLwpL94iVnNWA
After registering, a Zoom link to attend will be sent to you one week prior to the event. If you are unable to attend this session but wish to view a recording later, please register to receive an email that includes a link to the video of the presentation.
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Samantha Peter at scook13@uwyo.edu.
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Brief presentation descriptions:
The Pernkopf Atlas of Anatomy: A Medical Ethics Breach Hiding in Plain Sight
- Laurel Scheinfeld, Health Sciences Librarian, Stony Brook University
- Jamie Saragossi, Head of Health Sciences Library, Stony Brook University
- Kate Kasten-Mutkus, Head, Humanities and Social Sciences, Stony Brook University
In September 2018 the Head of the Health Sciences Library at Stony Brook University received an inquiry from concerned faculty who were preparing a lecture on Nazi medicine regarding a controversial medical text in the circulating collection. The text in question, The Pernkopf Atlas of Anatomy, was the subject of a 1996 letter from the University of Vienna informing users of an investigation into potential ethical issues surrounding the creation of the anatomical images. The library had to determine the next best course of action for these particular volumes which inspired a research project into best practices for handlining ethically questionable texts in research libraries. Although the research focused on one particular text it quickly became apparent that there were broader implications for library collections and information literacy instruction. This presentation offers best practices for working with controversial texts in thoughtful and productive ways.
The Desk as the Fig Leaf: Erotic Art Books in Library Collections
- Madison Sullivan, Fine and Performing Arts Librarian, University of Washington
After joining the UW Art Library in November 2019, the new Fine & Performing Arts Librarian noticed a large collection of books stashed behind the reference desk with their own location code separate from the main stacks. Many of these books were about erotic art, art nouveau, Japanese shunga, sexually explicit photography books, and other titles that visually depict sex acts and sexuality across gender identity and expression. Was this censorship, or a well meaning effort to save materials from theft and vandalism? This talk will cover the various reasons why art books may be secured away from users, the questions this problem raises for art book collections, and how the actions we take as librarians when working with erotic art books speak to our professional values.
Taking PRIDE in Our Values: Anti-Racism Resources at UCSF Library
- Sarah McClung, Head of Collection Development, University of California, San Francisco
- Josephine Tan, Research Librarian, University of California, San Francisco
In the summer of 2020, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Library was inspired to create a LibGuide on the topic of anti-racism to provide a resource for folks interested in learning more about racial justice, specifically as it relates to health sciences. The guide is unique in that we feature not only relevant ebook and journal titles, but also RSS feeds of PubMed searches to capture dynamic results. It has been extremely well-received, aligning directly with UCSF's PRIDE Values and the Library's core value of commitment to diversity and inclusion, and we seek to continually grow and improve this LibGuide using feedback from individuals and campus groups committed to anti-racism initiatives.
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Eamon Tewell
Head, Research Support and Outreach
Columbia University
He/Him/His
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Kristin
Kristin Pekoll, CAE
Assistant Director
Office for Intellectual Freedom
ALAAmericanLibraryAssociation
225 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601
312.280.4221
Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom throughout Your Library
By Kristin Pekoll – Available Now at the ALA Store