The American Library Association [ALA] opposes censorship, right? That's why it created "National Hogwash Week," a.k.a. "Banned Books Week," right? False. The ALA refused to come to the aid of a censored librarian. Why? He sought to balance a reading list for college freshmen with conservative choices. See "Persecuted Librarian Censored Again," by Scott Savage, WorldNetDaily, 9 May 2006.
Now, years later, Scott Savage is suing for defamation, and I'll venture to say the need for this suit is possibly a direct result of the ALA's failure to help Scott Savage in the first place. I urge Mr. Savage to consider if there may be any legal remedy against the ALA for damages resulting from its failure to support his efforts to provide a balanced reading list to incoming Ohio State University-Mansfield freshmen. Had Scott Savage recommended inappropriate material for children, the ALA would have snapped to attention. As Mr. Savage said, "Memo to J. Krug: four weeks of heavy media and Internet exposure, and you haven't called – is this a 'Day of Silence' protest on your part?"
So much for the ALA's touted devotion to "intellectual freedom."
For details on the defamation suit, see "Ex-Librarian Refiles Suit Over Reading List Dispute," by Linda Martz, Mansfield News Journal, 28 August 2009.
Hat tip to LISNews for making me aware of this matter.
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