MIS/DIS INFORMATION

MISINFORMATION OR CONTROVERSIAL WORKS IN LIBRARY COLLECTIONS

Balancing freedom of information principles with equality, diversity and inclusion principles and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

There is increasing awareness of items in library collections that present controversial opinions and include misinformation or disinformation about the history of Aotearoa and Māori. Some of these were written in the past with a colonial perspective that is now understood to be incomplete and inaccurate. Some are recently published promoting an ideological perspective harmful to Māori.

These items challenge librarians trying to balance commitment to freedom of information and responsibility to being exemplary Te Tiriti o Waitangi partners. These books are in library collections because many libraries try to select all or most books and other items by and about Māori. Given the volume and longevity of collecting, library staff may be unaware of controversial items in their collections until challenged. Publishers and authors may actively promote and campaign for their books to be purchased by libraries, as has been happening with Tross Publishing.

TE TIRITI O WAITANGI - A GUIDING DOCUMENT 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a guiding document for Aotearoa and a key principle is that Māori retain rangatiratanga over their resources and taonga. The right of Māori to protect their taonga, including their mātauranga and histories, is asserted through WAI262. This is the Waitangi Tribunal report addressing the “Restoration of ‘Tino rangatiratanga’ (Māori authority and self-determination) of the whānau, hapū and iwi of Aotearoa over our taonga” (those things and values which we treasure, both intangible and tangible)”. You can read the Waitangi Tribunal Strategic Direction in 2020 on their website. 

Librarians adhere to international principles around freedom of information. The IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto states that “Collections and services should not be subject to any form of ideological, political or religious censorship, nor commercial pressures”. The first listed mission of the public library is expressed as “Providing access to a broad range of information and ideas free from censorship, supporting formal and informal education at all levels as well as lifelong learning enabling the ongoing, voluntary and self-conducted pursuit of knowledge for people at all stages of life”.

Yet respected academic Moana Jackson wrote, “No one’s exercise of free speech should make another feel less free.” There is no even playing field in telling stories and histories. Power and privilege are not evenly distributed. Norms and rules, and ‘principles’, tend to reflect the values of those with power. The deliberate suppression of te reo Māori in the past also served to suppress contemporary accounts by Māori of the history of our country.

Furthermore, other legislation protecting freedom of information and protecting human rights do not adequately address indigenous world views.  For example libraries are bound to follow the classification rulings decided by Te Mana Whakaatu Classification Office in guiding people’s access to appropriate content. These organisations are governed by a western, euro-centric worldview and may not reflect the values that indigenous people have around access to information.   

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR LIBRARIES AND HOW THEY SHOULD RESPOND? 

STRATEGY

Think about the broader context of your library service vision and mission. Does your organisation have a more comprehensive strategy about supporting Māori outcomes? About equity and diversity? This would guide and inform the collecting and deselection policies.

This is an example of a library in the USA with a strategy directing policy and action, “Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-racism Toolkit”, which includes sections on collection development.

CURATION AND CONTEXT

While libraries encourage users to apply critical thinking about information sources, they can also assist users in this by providing context to the materials in their library. Libraries may curate their collections to align with their values, strategy, and policies. 

Some libraries separate out a Māori collection to highlight recommended content and make it easier for users to find it. Libraries may exclude controversial books about Māori from the promoted Māori content and place them in general collections or stack collections. Re-assigning an item to a stack collection reduces the opportunity for a patron to encounter that book by accident, while still keeping it available on the catalogue. Staff may also choose to limit or actively reduce the number of copies they hold of a controversial work.

Libraries with collections that float between libraries may exclude Māori collections from floating so that there is always content available at each branch. Alternatively, a controversial item may be restricted for use in the library-only rather than lending. 

Subject headings, reviews and summaries in the catalogue record can be curated to provide context to users and guide their understanding of the kind of information an item holds. The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) Manual warns librarians: “Avoid assigning headings that label topics or express personal value judgments regarding topics. Consider the intent of the author or publisher……Follow stated intentions of the author or publisher in such matters as readership, audience level, treatment as fact or fiction.” Harvard University suggests there is common usage of the subject subdivision “Miscellanea” to convey the inaccurate or imprecise nature of information related to a particular topic.

Libraries can create a core list of important titles so these can be replaced if damaged or lost. They may be willing to share these with other libraries.

DESELECTION

Most collections in public and school libraries are reviewed and weeded continuously to make room for new content. Older, discredited items may be removed in this process, using the library’s collection guidelines for weeding including condition, use history and current relevance.

School and tertiary libraries have clear objectives relating to their organisations’ curriculum and teaching principles, which may determine the exclusion or removal of some works.

ACTIVE COLLECTION ASSESSMENT AND WEEDING WITH AN EQUITY LENS

This resource is helpful for using an equity lens when assessing collections. 

STAY INFORMED AND AWARE - ENGAGE IN DISCUSSIONS

Consider an audit of books about Māori particularly those that have been challenged in other libraries. Involve Māori staff in evaluating Māori content. 

Libraries with research and local history collections could research and explore conversations about decolonisation and inclusive practice in collecting, describing, contextualising, presenting, and engaging with content. Libraries could identify and share examples of good practice and of recommended titles.

PROMOTE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

The role of libraries in strengthening the critical thinking skills of those who use them is crucial. People will find misinformation in or outside the library – help them develop the critical skills to evaluate resources. Libraries can provide programmes, resources and staff training to assess both print and online resources and encourage ‘lateral reading’ to determine an author’s credibility, intent and biases.

BE PREPARED FOR CHALLENGES IF YOU CHOOSE TO RETAIN A CONTROVERSIAL ITEM

Sample of a US library statement, “Items in the Library’s collection cover a wide range of ideas, issues, and lifestyles. Due to this diversity, there will always be some materials that appeal or do not appeal to specific individuals. The existence of a particular viewpoint in the collection is an expression of the library’s policy of intellectual freedom, not an endorsement of that particular point of view.”

NAVIGATING THE ETHICS

Louise Cooke from the United Kingdom talks about censorship and managing controversial library materials. https://www.cilip.org.uk/news/638160/google.com

As well as an ethical dilemma there are also legal implications to consider, meaning service leaders need to be sure of their policies and ensure staff are following guidelines. 

Cooke says, “A good understanding of ethical analytical thinking is a strong basis on which to reach appropriate solutions to ethical dilemmas faced by librarians: whether this is based on the principle of utilitarianism (the pursuit of greatest happiness and least harm), or on Kantian/deontological principles (i.e. examining the inherent ‘rightness’ or ‘wrongness’ of a particular course of action based on an agreed set of moral imperatives, for example ‘it is wrong to steal’).

“Using this kind of thinking we can more easily determine the action which we feel to be most appropriate and ethical. In terms of access to controversial materials this may involve, for example, ensuring that our users can make an informed choice with regard to the suitability of particular resources for their own purposes based on clear labelling of such resources, or, in the case of internet access, providing users with information literacy skills to evaluate the appropriateness of content for their specific needs, and ensuring that librarians are able to unblock content that has been filtered out erroneously.”

While there are clear arguments in favour of libraries retaining “controversial” materials and allowing access to it, Cooke admits there is a balancing act. She says, “Librarians, of course, need to balance a number of concerns that go well beyond merely avoiding offence. These include (but certainly are not limited to) the best use of limited resources to meet their users’ needs; remaining relevant, empathetic and trustworthy to their local communities (and parent bodies); doing the ‘right’ thing; and the need to remain at all times within legislative constraints. These considerations all require an ability to use ethical thinking to balance the rights and wrongs of any particular course of action”.

MISINFORMATION VERSUS DISINFORMATION

The New Zealand Government has defined these as follows: “Disinformation is false or modified information knowingly and deliberately shared to cause harm or achieve a broader aim. Misinformation is information that is false or misleading, though not created or shared with the direct intention of causing harm.”  

Dictionary.com adds propaganda to the mix. “Disinformation is the deliberately misleading or biased information, manipulated narrative or facts, propaganda.” 

Misinformation is often a mistake, while disinformation is intentionally dishonest. These distinctions are often easier to apply to traditional and social media content than published books. Printed content about Māori published in the past for interest could be either.

CASE STUDY - TROSS PUBLISHING

Books from Tross Publishing have come to the attention of many libraries, library users, and the media in 2023. Advice has been sought from the LIANZA Standing Committee on Freedom of Information on books published by Tross Publishing covering the topics of the Treaty of Waitangi, Treaty settlements and Māori history from a perspective that the colonisation, discrimination and racism of the past has been overplayed, and that Māori are getting away with greater entitlements by using the Treaty settlements unfairly. 

Not only are groups promoting social justice, Māori interests and historical societies challenging their local libraries for holding this content, but Tross Publishing and the authors of its titles are actively campaigning to have their books included in libraries - both public and school libraries.

Examples of how some libraries have responded:

  • One public library had one of the authors in their community who had influenced a local historical society to take an active approach. They have used the ability to add users' reviews on the library catalogue to promote the Tross publications in a racist way that has upset other library customers. Libraries may need to moderate user content.
  • A large library network has reviewed the titles challenged and moved any copies from Māori collections in branches into stack collections. 
  • Many school libraries have decided not to include them in their collections. 
  • A tertiary library has removed them on the grounds that they did not support the teaching aims of the institution.

REFERENCES

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