What Are We Talking About When We Talk About “Neutrality”?
Stacy Katz and Vanessa Arce Senati
The concept of neutrality in libraries depends on how one operationalizes the term. If we do not agree on the definition nor question how we are responding, then our topic becomes semantic rather than meaningful. The perennial question of neutrality has been raised in a variety of contexts. Libraries have yet to agree on what the question means. When we suggest that libraries should have a stance on neutrality, what are we defining neutrality to mean? This question is frequently discussed and debated without any resolution.
Anderson (2022) explains this in the Scholarly Kitchen by arguing that the term neutrality has meant different things to different people. He notes that at the 2018 American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference, a panel of librarians was asked if libraries are neutral. Answers from the respondents suggest that neutrality means anything from not discriminating to upholding hegemonic systems to being free from bias.
The same question was answered with a multitude of frames. If each of these panelists were answering the same question, perhaps we could seek clarity on this issue. However, there is no shared definition of what neutrality means in the context of libraries. Holding this idea out as a north star goal of libraries then becomes meaningless as we can shift the definition to mean anything.
Instead of aiming for neutrality, our context and values should guide the conversation rather than debating whether libraries are, can, or ever should be “neutral.” The core values listed by ALA are access, equity, intellectual freedom and privacy, public good, and sustainability (American Library Association, 2024). These values provide guidance for libraries to shape their collections and services for their communities. This framing provides the ideals of librarianship and ethical guidelines for direction. In contrast, neutrality is an ill-defined quagmire of opinions and pointless musings.
Vanessa Arce and Stacy Katz
References
American Library Association. (2024). Core Values Statement.https://www.ala.org/advocacy/advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues
Anderson, R. (2022, March 3). Libraries and the contested terrain of “neutrality.” The Scholarly Kitchen. https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2022/03/03/libraries-and-the-contested-terrain-of-neutrality/