Mitch Freedman cancels Cuban library debate

Critics have objected to the ALA’s alleged “fixing” of this event on the grounds that, as a
matter of principle, panel discussions on controversial topics should reflect diverse points
of view. But the ALA rejects demands from the Friends of Cuban Libraries to add speakers
reflecting diverse viewpoints to the panel because it is allegedly “too late” to make
changes in the conference schedule, even by the simple expedient of adding another
chair to the table. Although the issue of Cuban libraries has been a controversial topic
within the ALA for several years, ALA officials have not explained to journalists why
diverse viewpoints were deliberately excluded from the panel in the planning stage.

In apparent response to persistent inquiries, however, on June 15 ALA president Mitch
Freedman, citing his professed commitment to intellectual freedom, hastily proposed to
schedule a separate debate on Cuba at the Toronto conference; time constraints were
apparently not an obstacle to scheduling this new event, in contrast to the reasons given
for refusing to allow changes on the panel discussion. In another sudden reversal,
however, on June 17 Mr. Freedman abruptly announced the cancellation of the debate he
had proposed two days before. The ALA president justified his action on the grounds that
one of the participants he had in mind for the debate would not be attending the
conference in Toronto. He did not explain why the many other ALA members who have
visited libraries in Cuba would not be suitable participants in the canceled debate.

In the meantime, the Friends of Cuban Libraries are intensifying their press campaign to
draw attention to what the organization regards as the ALA’s scandalous complicity with
the Cuban government’s persecution of the island nation’s innovative independent library
movement, which was founded in 1998 with the goal of challenging censorship.