Personal opinions need to stay HOME

Policy used for Scenario 5 in the upcoming assignment
ALA code of ethics, Article 1V states " 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"

Allow me to be personal for a sentence or three, please. I am a Christian and recognize that this is MY personal belief. However, I respect and have learned from many people who share different religious traditions. In fact, my own belief has been challenged and then strengthened as I have built relationships with others so that I can learn about them and their ideas. Libraries are supposed to be places that foster and support the free exchange of ideas.

Therefore, I have 2 questions about the strength of diversity in a library collection. I have noticed an increase in the number of Muslim people in my surrounding community. I work for a community college that has a very strong Muslim presence now. We would do a disservice to that community f we did not offer people the chance to learn about the tenets of Islam and the peaceful foundations that most followers of Allah cling to! In times when terror and national security are tense and unrelenting, fear does nothing to alleviate pressure. the best hope is to offer places for discussion and shared knowledge. Marie Curie once said, "Nothing is to be feared, it is only to be understood."

If you think you recognize parts of the above from our discussion board, you're right! Scenario 5 is difficult for me to answer. That question says that the library has received a small donation and that a co-worker want the library to purchase a Muslim holiday book. There is some discussion about Jewish and Christan holiday books as well, but the person is firm in their desire to see a Muslim book chosen.
Two questions entered my mind right away. They are: 1) Did the donor specify how their gift ought to be distributed? and 2) what is the current depth of holiday titles available? After answering those questions and seeing what "gaps" should be filled in, then the selector ought to consider which titles would benefit the entire community best and make those purchase decisions.

This scenario has reminded me that no matter how much I would LOVE to fill a library with just my favorite writers and thinkers, the people around me deserve breadth before depth so that they can choose their passions just as I once did! Without exploratory freedom and variation that leads (hopefully!) to distinction, informed opinions cannot be formed. Biased learning is dangerous. Believing only one side of an issue is foolish, because single sides collapse under pressure and are often difficult to intelligently defend. I am often grateful for moments that allow me to encounter something outside my sphere of current understanding. Whether or not I agree matters less than the chance to consider and become wiser via the experience itself.