By **Rebecca Bates**
The American Library Association has proven that at least they have their shit together. That’s because yesterday morning they passed a “WikiLeaks-related resolution” that takes a positive stand on the public’s right to government “transparency” and an “access to information.” You know, buzzwords that are, like, essential to a truly democratic society.
They quote the ruling from New York Times Co. v. United States (1971), the case that decided that the Nixon Administration’s attempt to prevent publication of the Pentagon Papers violated the First Amendment: “[T]he guarding of military and diplomatic secrets at the expense of informed representative government provides no real security for our Republic.” They are firm on this point, as we all should be, acknowledging that “current and former government officials estimate that 50 percent to 90 percent of classified information is either overclassified or should not have been classified at all.” These bookworms invite debate, while at the same time making it known that libraries should be a place where information can be consumed freely—that is, “within the boundaries of U.S. law.”
The full resolution can be found here.
Copyright 2011 Rebecca Bates
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Rebecca Bates is the blog editor at Guernica. Read her last Q&A here. Read her last post here.
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