Most Far Out Sentence: "The library profession long ago adopted a Bill of Rights that enjoins librarians to stock material covering all possible political and other view points. Yet the library in question no doubt typifieds actual practice-namely to offer its readers only safe, orthodox, Establishment-type literature" (Berman, 1).
Sanford Berman attacks the stated neutrality of librarians from straight out of the gate. He believes that in order for libraries to start carrying materials with "alternative" points of view from the "underground," pressure will need to come from the alienated population that creates alternative press, as well as from within libraries.
Berman goes on to rage against sterotypes of all kinds: classes, races, gays, and women are all treated unfairly by "neutral" libraries. All in all, despite "fairness" and "neutrality" certain groups remained uncatered to within library culture according to Berman.
A question for Sanford Berman, though: when does the alternative press become mainstream? Was Soviet Russia Today mainstream because Ruth Brown chose to keep it in a library, or would that be considered "alternative press"?
In conclusion, social responsibility as a library movement was all well and good, but I thought that Berman's piece went a little too far.
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