I am not a librarian, so I have been reluctant to weigh in.
However, in my humble opinion, I believe that neither a boycott of West
Publishing products nor a boycott of their reception would be productive,
and neither would accomplish the stated objectives. In fact, the boycott of
West products smacks of censorship and is in some ways contrary to the
spirit of free and open inquiry held in such esteem by the library
profession, although censorship was obviously not at all intended by those
who suggested a boycott. It might also be contrary to the aspirational
ideals of the library profession by restricting information available to
patrons.
Instead, a solution that airs a variety of viewpoints and adds a forum for
edification on this subject seems much more in tune with the library
profession.
I think that a couple of points from the ALA Code of Ethics, which is
incorporated by reference within the AALL Code of Ethics, appear applicable
here, or at least worth thinking about.
The ALA Code of Ethics Item 2:
We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to
censor library resources.
The ALA Code of Ethics Item 7 reads:
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 ALA Code of Ethics Item 5 reads, in part:
We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness and good
faith....
A boycott of the reception would be mean spirited and rude, in addition to
being pointless and counterproductive.
Therefore, I respectfully suggest adding a seminar or panel discussion on
the subject of pricing and West Publishing at St. Louis, and any future AALL
meetings. I leave defining the topic specificially as an exercise for the
reader. Such a seminar or panel discussion would, by its very existence, do
a lot more to help resolve the stated concerns in a manner consistent with
the professionalism I have always seen in the law librarian community.
Michael Ravnitzky
mikerav@verizon.net
Silver Spring, Maryland
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