Should a library spend tax payers' dollars on books that claim to be nonfiction but have been proven to be false? That is the question a librarian colleague of mine recently posted to a blog. The books in question are by Kevin Trudeau, the author who claims to have diet "cures" and now financial "cures."
The librarian mentioned above is concerned about purchasing these books for her library since Trudeau has been ordered by the Federal Trade Commission to pay millions of dollars for his false claims, and he has also been banned from publishing the next three years. To what extent does Intellectual Freedom apply in this situation?
While we libraians love being the "keepers" of information, and our greatest delight in life is helping people find answers to their information needs, we cannot dictate what someone else chooses to read. If a book is in keeping with the library's mission, the library's clientele is asking for the materials, and the budget allows for such purchases, then Trudeau's books can be an acceptable purchase for a public library. To posit another similar situation, do libraries ban Wikipedia from our public access computers because the information posted there may not be accurate (as we know it often isn't)?
Sometimes Intellectual Freedom means giving people the freedom to pursue ignorance.
It's a tough call for librarians to walk the balance beam of collection development. My colleague has done well in at least posting the truth about Trudeau to her library's website.
More informatoin about Trudeau is available from these links:
Trudeau's debt cures:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/02/trudeau_debt.html
Federal Trade Commission's actions:
http://www1.ftc.gov/opa/2009/01/trudeau.shtm
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