By Allen Meyer, Director, Vernon Area Public Library District, Lincolnshire, IL

There are three freedom of speech issues present in this situation, all of which should be addressed by Tagliani and his staff before anyone approaches city officials. The first is that of intellectual and academic freedom. While the librarians involved may be city employees, they are professionals in the same sense that university professors are, and they should be accorded the same degree of freedom to speak and publish in the areas of their expertise, whether that be climate change or literary analysis. To address this issue, a library policy covering publications should be established.

The policy should respect the intellectual rights of reviewers and researchers; it should address the questions of who owns the work and of whether or not the work is done on library time or personal time; it should include a statement to the effect that the views and opinions contained in the publication do not represent those of the library.

The second issue centers on who has the authority and responsibility to serve as the official spokesperson for the organization. Library staff should understand that it is important to send a clear and consistent message to the public, and this is best achieved by having a single vision, if not a single voice. To address this issue, an official library spokesperson should be designated, and a clear policy established, stating the specific authority and responsibility of that person. This policy should be understood by all library personnel.

The third issue is the larger one of individual freedom of speech. Regardless of professional prerogatives or organizational authority, individuals can and will talk. Efforts to control speech always fail and usually arouse suspicion and resentment that can harm an organization more than the release or misrepresentation of sensitive information. This is a challenging issue for managers; frankly, the best way to handle it is to be as open as possible about as much as possible and to understand that the best way to keep information off the grapevine and out of the news is to limit deliberations to those who need to be involved until information can be more widely released.

Tagliani and his staff should not view this as a battle but as an opportunity to clarify internal policies and educate city officials. Tagliani should take the library's publication and spokesperson policies, along with some samples of staff writing, and meet with city officials to discuss their decree requiring supervisor approval before publication. The policies should be presented and explained in a way that demonstrates the library's due diligence in promoting intellectual freedom while protecting organizational integrity.

The samples will show that what is being published without prior approval is not of a politically sensitive nature and therefore not a potential threat or embarrassment to anyone. It is quite possible that city officials do not understand the nature of professional librarianship. This is a chance for Tagliani to define the uniqueness of this category of city employees and to show the high quality of library management, hopefully winning a reprieve from the edict and additional respect and support for the library.

If this approach fails, a longer view should be taken. Tagliani should make sure that city officials receive copies of all library staff publications and press releases, and he also should establish direct personal contact with them to develop a more trusting and respectful relationship.