Librarian here: we really, really don't judge you for what you read. Please don't be afraid to ask. This is a great sign though, either way.
Edit: Sorry, I can’t reply to everyone. My apologies to anyone who has felt judged by a Librarian. A big part of my schooling (and my personal philosophy) includes NOT judging people. I have no idea why people are looking for information on a particular topic and it’s none of my business. The profession has something called the Code of Ethics which we are all supposed to follow. Part of those ethics are: I. We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources. II. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted. III. We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources.
The majority of Librarians are wonderful, helpful, nonjudgmental people. If you encounter a Librarian who is not these things, please don’t think we are all like this. I have worked in academic and public and special collections Libraries in both the north and the south for over a decade and have never worked with any Librarian who was judging someone (out loud at least). Please continue to use and support your local Library – with the way things are going the Library might be the last place where money doesn’t affect one’s ability to access information. Looking at you FCC!
1_2_um_12 on December 7th, 2017 at 14:50 UTC »
Like any good incognito session, they should throw in some benign topics.
DootDotDittyOtt on December 7th, 2017 at 14:58 UTC »
What a great idea.
Thisisthe_place on December 7th, 2017 at 16:38 UTC »
Librarian here: we really, really don't judge you for what you read. Please don't be afraid to ask. This is a great sign though, either way.
Edit: Sorry, I can’t reply to everyone. My apologies to anyone who has felt judged by a Librarian. A big part of my schooling (and my personal philosophy) includes NOT judging people. I have no idea why people are looking for information on a particular topic and it’s none of my business. The profession has something called the Code of Ethics which we are all supposed to follow. Part of those ethics are: I. We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources. II. We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted. III. We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources.
The majority of Librarians are wonderful, helpful, nonjudgmental people. If you encounter a Librarian who is not these things, please don’t think we are all like this. I have worked in academic and public and special collections Libraries in both the north and the south for over a decade and have never worked with any Librarian who was judging someone (out loud at least). Please continue to use and support your local Library – with the way things are going the Library might be the last place where money doesn’t affect one’s ability to access information. Looking at you FCC!