oh, deer

Ha, ha.  I know I'm corny.  Eschenfelder and Miller's take on the positive government-citizen relationships made possible by the internet is interesting in light of Yudof's warnings about the government and technology.  Both articles did say that the internet provides a very quick and effective way to reach the masses.  Whether the purpose is for propaganda or public safety & education is in the eye of the beholder.

Again remembering Yudof's warning concerning governmental omissions of information, I can see how easy it would be for CWD sites to strategically leave out information to tailor the message to someone's agenda.  The variety in levels of disclosure among the four CWD sites was astonishing.  I appreciated the authors' attempt to provide some structure and framework for including enough information for stakeholders to make decisions.  It makes a lot of sense that agencies should follow "guidelines for 'influential' information that require agencies to provide sufficient information such that interested parties could conduct an independent reanalysis and come up with similar conclusions" (p. 82). 

Of course my brain heads to school libraries.  In the same way that government websites must present the complete picture, school libraries should endeavor to provide a well-rounded collection, complete with controversies and debates.  The omission of certain books and topics may speak as clearly as the inclusion of them and should be considered carefully.  Just as government agencies should follow clear guidelines, so should school libraries follow a plan for collection development and management.

Changing directions, I found something missing in both the other articles was citizen-to-government communication.  If the governing body believes it is true that "the role of government information is to educate citizens so they can provide input to agency decision makers", then there must be a convenient avenue for communication from citizens to those agencies (p. 82).  The citizen-publisher form of government information dispersal seems to fill that gap.  The article goes so far as to suggest an online forum for discussion or even published articles from concerned citizens.  While this model may thwart traditional forms of authority to some extent, it also allows for a public sense of ownership (and possibly more complete/diverse information than would be available from the governmental office alone).  In light of the ubiquity of "wikis" and social cataloging, it seems like user-created content and discussion would be a natural next step in government information.  As providers of information to patrons, do libraries (particularly school libraries) provide ample opportunities for the public to speak to the library about their needs?

I was glad to read "The Nerves of Government" first to fill in some background on government documents and communication, but it sort of led me away from government docs and back to the school library (what can I say?  I'm a SLMS in training!).  I connected Yudof's comments to the way school libraries, as extension of the government, will shape the values of their patrons. 

this will make sense in a minute...

In my research for the group project, I came across an AASL article by Lukenbill that quotes laws "forbidding schools to 'impose orthodoxy in matters of opinions' while still allowing the 'inculcating [of] values,' 'government speech', 'government as educator,' 'educational speech,' and 'strict scrutiny [constitutional review] standards'".  Lukenbill asserts that because the school library is a branch of the government, librarians have the right to educate and guide.  One of these ways to guide would be in book selection that encompasses a wide variety of topics (even controversial ones) and supports the curriculum.  The ideas in that article begin to help me answer a long-standing question about the responsibilities of a school librarian.  On the one hand, libraries should strive to maintain some sort of balance and "neutrality" (I hesitate somewhat to use that word after our earlier discussion on Pawley and Wiegand, heh).  On the other hand, librarians will necessarily have to espouse some kind of viewpoint with book selection, keeping in mind that stocking a diversity of resources denotes a viewpoint.  And heading back to my group's topic, censorship, that particular viewpoint may upset some people in the librarian's sphere of influence.  Yudof describes how politicians walk a line between their dual responsibilities to reflect the values of the electorate and also to educate the public.  In the same way, I feel school librarians must find balance between representing the student body with book selection, but should also seek to teach students about other cultures and viewpoints.

It seems to me that Yudof intends to cast a negative light on government communications meant to inform or persuade.  I wouldn't say that I think government propaganda is a good thing, but I think some of his points go too far.  He says that in government institutions such as schools, the students "lack contact with the outside world and access to alternative sources of information and opinion".  I beg to differ!  If the school librarian is doing his or her job, then the exact opposite should be true! 

scene from "Me and You and Everyone We Know"

I was interested in the idea that technology, which I would assume has given us more freedom, could actually be infringing on our liberties.  I have long been interested in the ways that technology has isolated us and diminished our community ties, while also affording us new and innovative ways to connect to each other.  The movie "Me and You and Everyone We Know" is an excellent illustration of this dichotomy.  And I think of the YA book Little Brother when I consider how new technology could facilitate increased government surveillance.  I had not thought as much about what the internet does for the speed and efficiency of government communication with citizens.  Will the U.S. government soon use adware to spy on our internet use and offer us targeted public service announcements and agricultural ads?