The Great Library Conspiracy.

Had the opportunity recently to observe an online discussion about a book that had been printed in Canada. As far as he knew, one of the correspondents thought that all the copies of this book had been pulled from all the libraries in Canada.

Ok, that's a red flag for me right there. First of all, I can't imagine all the libraries in Canada agreeing on what type of coffee to use in their staff rooms much less uniformly banning a book. That's the government's job. If a book is allowed into the country, then each library system decided on whether it wants to have the book on the shelves.

This depends on several factors : One - popularity. We bring in what people want to read/watch/ listen to...especially if many people want it. Two - specific requests. If a patron really, really wants something and it looks like it could be a good addition to the collection, we'll try to acquire it. Three - availablity. Some things are just not available to us...we have budgets, too! To buy an obscure book from the UK for one patron to read may or may not be a good use of our book buying allotment. Four - for some libraries (academic/professional) they bring in materials to support the specific requirements of their institution.

However, the book in question was available (in an earlier edition) in a number of libraries throughout the country. Which brought up the question "Why so few?" Well, if you read the previous paragraph we can tick off the reasons. One - popularity. It wasn't exactly the new Harry Potter. Two - request. No one has asked for it. Three - availabilty. A small press book won't appear in most of the catalogues that we use for ordering so we have to fall back onto reasons one or two to become aware of it. And the newest edition was only available as a .pdf file from the publisher's website. Four - the libraries that did have this book were mostly academic libraries...probably not a real page-turner then. But it was available! Thanks to our interlibrary loan system you can ask your local public library to bring it in for you.

Or.....you could buy a copy for yourself!!!! Just make sure you use cash because you know the government is tracking your credit card usage. And opening your mail. I'm sure that they can mail it in a plain, brown wrapper to a PO box registered under an alias if you ask.

So, you want to know what the real Great Library Conspiracy is? I'll tell you.

We have a great selection of books, movies and music available at a minimal cost that has been carefully selected by professionals to meet the needs and wants of the community that we are in. We resist censorship because we feel that, in a free country that people have the right to express their opinions within the guidelines laid down by the laws of Canada. And we're willing to help you find things like bus schedules, phone numbers, and the nearest mail box. We'll even smile and point when you need to know where the washroom is.

Ok, I never said that the Great Library Conspiracy was a secret, did I? Unless you count the secret handshake that cataloguers use....