I hereby praise the American Library Association's [ALA] new Acting Director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom [OIF], Deborah Caldwell-Stone. Although she has only been in her new position a short time, I already see a vast improvement in customer relations, so to speak.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone does something praiseworthy that I have to congratulate her on—she is responding online to various library advocates, something the previous OIF director never did, so far as I know. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, well done.
The first time I noticed she responded online was in the eighth comment to "Tomorrow's Show - Banning Books and Sacking Library Board Members in West Bend," by Queery, Queery, 28 April 2009.
The second time she responded online was in the fourth comment to "West Bend Library Board - Lies, Anger, and Vengeance," by West Bend Citizen Advocate, WISSUP = Wisconsin Speaks Up, 2 June 2009.
Ironically, her OIF's own blog does not allow comments. I have written about this before in "New OIF Blog Deletes Free Speech," SafeLibraries, SafeLibraries, 10 January 2009. I noted that while the blog allowed comments for a few days, it stopped that and deleted the existing comments. Censorship? "Free People Read Freely," the blog says. Apparently free people don't write freely.
However, given Deborah Caldwell-Stone's willingness to engage online, I hope she will exert her influence to finally allow the OIF blog to allow comments.
Once again, great job Deborah Caldwell-Stone. Great job, ALA.
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And praise for this blog post comes from the Annoyed Librarian, whom I highly recommend! Thank you, AL! I do say good things about the ALA when it is deserved.
ReplyDeleteSee "But Who Isn't Being Infotained?, by Annoyed Librarian, Library Journal, 8 June 2009:
"One of the odder events of the past week is probably Safe Library Guy praising the acting director of the ALA-OIF. I'm not sure what this means for her future at the OIF, but Chicago could probably get a week's worth of electricity if it could harness the wind power generated from Judith Krug spinning in her grave."
If Judith Krug is spinning in her grave, it's because the recent issue having her picture on the cover is the one containing the article that was modified and retitled as a direct result of my exposing the ALA on its whitewashing of a library rape. See "ALA Whitewashes Rape and Blames Child; Removes Discussion of ALA's Possible Culpability for Rape." Read the comments to see I was attacked on the very day the change was made, and the attack likely came from the ALA's OIF.