Reflections on Class (October 11)

Overview of Class:
Policy vs Ethics
-One of the questions that came up in class was should we inform parents about what their kids are looking at? What if you (the librarian) feel that the child has a right to the information while the parents don't in other words, what if policy and ethics clash?
- There is not right answer to this question. The only real answer that came up in class was that the world is so ethically complex that sometimes the right thing to do doesn't exist, and that every instance depends on the situation's context.
-This discussion led to a debate on whether kids can handle more information or whether children's minds are pristine and should be protected. Some parents even believe that libraries are pandering smut to children within the framework of the idea of the freedom of information. Personally, I hated when my parents told me I shouldn't read something, it only peaked my curiosity. I always found this interesting, because I didn't really care if my parents told me that I couldn't watch a movie (for some reason I trusted their judgements when it came to film), but when it came to books I wanted control over what I read and if I was told no that I was definitely going to read it sooner or later (for example, this led to reading Like Water For Chocolate at age twelve)
-We also discussed the difference between equal access and equitable access- equal- everyone can get to it- equitable- maybe not everyone but its justifiable access ex adults can access it but children can't
-This brings up an important question- Should we (librarians) automatically process requests, in a rote style- where is the human factor? Where does the librarian end and the person begin? We are not automatons so can we be expected to act that way? On the other hand, we have to respect the judgments and opinions of different people- when do children become viable people with their own rights- for me eighteen seems a little old when it comes to control over personal reading materials.
-One of the more important things that we discussed is the only way to move forward is to be innovative and not afraid to fail. Failure is inevitable in order to see what new ideas will be successful and what won't. People who allow failure to rule will never succeed.