Well, despite being an early initial responder, I'm playing catch up at this stage in the game (it was a busy day in Berkeley).
I am very grateful that my budget, administration and clientele have allowed for a great amount of autonomy in curatorial decisions. That said, I have received some surprising challenges and complaints from the public-- and baseless accusations of misuse of state funds. We all need to be prepared with sound arguments when facing intellectual freedom challenges-- and this would seem especially to be the case for those librarians where reporting lines, local politics and/or funding put media and video collections at a disadvantage to traditional print collections. Those video librarians venturing into new genres (and formats), much like those with lesser degrees of autonomy, need positive and productive support from this list the most. As the list administrator, I would hate to try to discourage any lively debate, but I very much hope that some of the turns this discussion has taken do not have a chilling effect on those looking for guidance in making sound intellectual freedom decisions-- nor to the more experienced defenders of intellectual freedom among us. In my experience, a calm, respectful and well-reasoned approach is the best course at resolving intellectual freedom challenges efficiently and effectively-- the same goes for philosophical differences between colleagues. I realize this sounds overly simplistic-- I had the luxury of taking an Academic Libraries Intellectual Freedom Seminar in library school from the man who wrote the book (Jim Schmidt), during a particularly dark time for our country, when librarian "John Doe" was in court in Connecticut arguing against the Patriot Act's gag order on librarians (IF followers out there may remember this also coincided with the more immediate horrors of Hurricane Katrina). I was sure I would end up in prison one day to protect my patrons' privacy. It is very serious business, folks, but let's all try to keep the discussion productive and supportive for the benefit of those seeking out guidance, edification and sound advice. Many thanks, Gisèle Tanasse Head, Media Resources Center 150 Moffitt Library #6000 University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 PH: 510-642-8197 BCAL: nerdpo...@berkeley.edu NOTE: PART TIME SCHEDULE Monday-Thurs 8AM-2PM On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 6:49 PM, Doug Poswencyk <doug8...@gmail.com> wrote: > Or child pornography. There are laws but more importantly morals that > prevent us from doing this > I don't know of any snuff films. The film that came out several years ago > was s hoax. Many of the films we are talking about here aren't even x > rated. > On Nov 17, 2014 2:43 PM, "Dennis Doros" <milefi...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> I have to say we had real discussions a few years ago with a very fine >> academic (and good friend) about releasing a DVD of historic pornography >> that was being taught in her course and other people's courses. I was >> really interested in it until the archivist holding the collection >> mentioned the possibility that with the a history of exploitation of actors >> in these films (not always, but frequently), do we want to be exploiting >> them again? There's not an easy answer. >> >> I also saw a presentation of pornography by the esteemed Linda Williams >> that was excellent and the first few films were fairly quaint or laughingly >> bad. But the last one was truly erotic and it made a lot of people >> uncomfortable. At what point does academic interest turn into voyeurism or >> worse, harassment? (One professor in Arizona lost his job when he taught a >> film pornography class.) I'll defend her right to show it 100% and I'm >> really glad for the experience that made me think so deeply about the >> meaning of academic study, but again there's no easy answer. >> >> This exploitation discussion came up recently with Belle Knox (the Duke >> student) this year and each case is so different. But without knowing the >> history of each film, I think you can have an epic pros and cons panel on >> carrying such titles and whether you're supporting the pornography >> business. Frankly, what I've seen in this string of emails is exactly what >> I would have expected -- great reasons for both sides of the equation. >> >> And if you say there should be complete academic freedom, what the heck >> do you do when a professor wants to buy a "real" snuff film? >> >> >> Best regards, >> Dennis Doros >> Milestone Film & Video >> PO Box 128 / Harrington Park, NJ 07640 >> Phone: 201-767-3117 / Fax: 201-767-3035 / Email: milefi...@gmail.com >> >> Visit our main website! www.milestonefilms.com >> Visit our new websites! www.mspresents.com, www.portraitofjason.com, >> www.shirleyclarkefilms.com, >> To see or download our 2014 Video Catalog, click here >> <http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0150/7896/files/2014MilestoneVideoCatalog.pdf?75> >> ! >> >> >> Support "Milestone Film" on Facebook >> <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milestone-Film/22348485426> and Twitter >> <https://twitter.com/#!/MilestoneFilms>! >> >> >> On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 1:04 PM, Doug Poswencyk <doug8...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> But it is. Besides, we don't even know what the film is! >>> >>> On Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 12:26 PM, Catherine Lee < >>> catherinelee...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Hello All, >>>> >>>> I have been a lurker on this list for quite a while. I feel compelled >>>> to make a response now...to offer support for Darby and to express my >>>> appreciation for the thoughtful comments of Gisele and Darby in response to >>>> a legitimately challenging question by Maureen. "Good librarianship" also >>>> means being cognizant of the morals, politics, and overall climate of your >>>> institution and broader community. >>>> >>>> When I read the initial posting, I wondered what my response would be >>>> if I were faced with that situation. I'm not at a UC Berkeley, NC State, or >>>> UNT. I'm at a community college. Such a purchase--especially with state >>>> funds--would come under public scrutiny. Since I am not faced with this >>>> scenario, I don't have to make the decision...but I would hope that the >>>> decision I ended up making would not be met with accusations from my peers >>>> and colleagues of censorship or of being puritanical. >>>> >>>> Catherine Lee >>>> Cape Fear Community College >>>> Wilmington, NC >>>> >>>> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >>>> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >>>> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >>>> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >>>> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >>>> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >>>> producers and distributors. >>>> >>>> >>> >>> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >>> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >>> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >>> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >>> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >>> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >>> producers and distributors. >>> >>> >> >> VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of >> issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic >> control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in >> libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as >> an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of >> communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video >> producers and distributors. >> >> > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as > an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > >
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
