Libraries between censorship and information rights (impact on library practice in the segment of library material acquisition and creation of funds)

Abstract

Libraries as supposed to be the most democratic places in the world have a clearly defined role and purpose in society. They are obliged to provide equal access to information for all, but also to get an impact on reader preferences and at the same time to perform an educational role. In that gap between the imperative to obey the law and follow democratic principles – providing the right to information on the one hand, and the dictates of the market on the other, libraries found themselves in an unenviable position when it comes to the segment of acquiring library materials and creating funds. Although, in principle, this business segment is regulated through various professional recommendations and by legal and internal acts of libraries, there still remains an unresolved dilemma related to the treatment of publications and/or authors that can be classified on a certain basis as problematic from ethical or aesthetic aspects. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the theoretical understanding of specific manifestations of censorship that can occur in certain segments of library practice such as creating funds, purchasing library materials, or meeting user requirements. This is being achieved by comparing what are real dilemmas in practice and what the legislation prescribes or what is recommended by professional organizations. By focusing on questioning the boundaries in solving the aforementioned problems, through an attempt to open specific issues, it seeks to point out the shortcomings of existing solutions and a certain discrepancy between the offered legal-theoretical framework and its implementation in everyday practice.