Posted on July 12, 2018 at 1:30 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
The American Library Association finds itself in the headlines again, this time with a revision to its organizational bill of rights.
A news release posted on its website last week states that hate groups should be allowed to meet in libraries’ public facilities:
If a library allows charities, non-profits, and sports organizations to discuss their activities in library meeting rooms, then the library cannot exclude religious, social, civic, partisan political or hate groups from discussing their activities in the same facilities.
The ALA also issued a second news release Tuesday that clarified that this is not a new policy and emphasized that it does not endorse hate speech.
The Los Angeles Times reports that social media users were unimpressed with the ALA’s stance, which the organization says is in support of the Constitution’s First Amendment and is distinct from hateful conduct (which it does not endorse).
Most recently, the ALA drew ire when one of its divisions chose to rename an award previously named after Laura Ingalls Wilder, citing her books’ depictions of Native Americans and African-Americans as hurtful.
Categories: Today in Books