DRUG-REFORM BOOKS NOT APPRECIATED

Not Welcome: Some Libraries Reject Books On Drug Reform

You can give a drug book to a library, but you can't make the library
shelve it.

Headquartered in Fayetteville, the Drug Policy Education Group, which hopes
to liberalize Arkansass drug laws, has donated more than $8,000 worth of
books, videos, booklets and article reprints to 48 public and college
libraries across the state since 2002. DPEG has just completed a survey to
determine whether the donated materials are placed on the libraries
shelves. Materials not shelved are commonly sold at library book sales at
extremely low prices, which is not only a waste of our resources, but also
does not accomplish our goal of making these materials available to the
general public, a DPEG report on the survey said.

DPEG studied the donation retention rates for eight books and three
booklets sent to all the libraries. It found that retention rates diverged
as widely as possible from 100 percent to 0 percent and that the reasons
for the discrepancy were not entirely clear, although high rejection rates
seemed to reflect the personal opinions/prejudices of individual librarians
more than factors such as the size and location of the libraries.

College libraries had the highest retention rate as a group, perhaps not
surprisingly. Arkansas State University at Jonesboro retained all 11 items
surveyed. Henderson State University at Arkadelphia and Lyon College at
Batesville retained 10. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the
University of Central Arkansas at Conway and Southern Arkansas University
at Magnolia retained nine. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
at Little Rock and Arkansas Tech University at Russellville retained six.
Harding University at Searcy retained five. Information about the
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff could not be obtained, DPEG said.

Some community and regional libraries also did not respond to the survey.

Of those libraries that did respond, the Central Arkansas area had the
highest retention rates. Six of the eight libraries that received materials
responded; their average retention was eight of the 11 materials, or 75
percent. Malvern retained all 11, Hot Springs 10, Conway and Little Rock
eight, Benton and North Little Rock seven. Morrilton and Lonoke did not
respond.

The next highest retention rates were in the Northeast Region, where six of
eight libraries responded. The average number of materials retained by the
six libraries was six, or 56 percent. Newport retained nine, Paragould and
Searcy eight, Walnut Ridge and Jonesboro six, and Wynne none.

Three libraries out of five reported in Southwest Arkansas, retaining an
average of five donations, or 48 percent. Magnolia retained nine, Texarkana
six, El Dorado one.

Seven of 13 libraries responded in Northwest Arkansas. The average number
of donations retained was 4.5, or 42 percent. Fort Smith retained nine,
Fayetteville eight, Mountain Home seven, Rogers four, Van Buren three,
Dardanelle one, and Harrison none. DPEG said that Springdale and
Bentonville were not part of the analysis because we did not have budget to
include them in our 2002 donation round.

In Southeast Arkansas, two of the four recipient libraries responded.
Helena kept four of the donated items, and Pine Bluff kept three, for an
average of 3.5 or 32 percent.

That the highest retention rate occurred in the most densely populated
region of the state (Central) and the lowest rate occurred in the least
populated (Southeast) suggested to DPEG that A primary consideration in
tolerance toward reform literature may lie in numbers. Librarians for
inhabitants of more highly populated areas may be more likely to feel safe
in considering topics involving personal behavior viewed as contrary to
accepted public norms. Libraries serving greater populations would be
expected to provide materials on a broader array of topics.

There were no reports of patron complaints about the donated materials,
though DPEG admitted that input from librarians was limited. Still, the
input from librarians was sufficient for DPEG to conclude:

High rejection rates of our donated materials seem to stem from staff
decisions based on personal opinion. Perceptions about our mission or drug
policy reform in general are likely factors in those decisions. One library
director in a zero-retention facility stated that the community was
conservative and that drugs (meth) were a serious problem there, causing
him to conclude that the public would not accept our materials. He was not
willing to accept a public outcry on this matter.

The report listed four options for DPEG in trying to improve library
retention rates for its donated materials: Find alternative recipients
within a region to replace recipients who have not retained any DPEG
materials. Try to visit personally with key library staff at low-retention
facilities. Ask DPEG supporters to request its materials at their local
libraries, targeting low-retention libraries especially. And Publicize this
report to highlight how librarians personal opinions/prejudices about
critical issues control the selection of public library materials available
to entire communities.