The Library as a Marketplace of Ideas Ronald J. Heckart Since the late 1930s, intellectual freedom has been a central theme in the professional ethics of librarians. From it has come powerful and inspiring rhetoric, but also confusion and controversy. This paper traces librarianship's notions of intellectual freedom to a widely analyzed concept in law and political science known as the marketplace of ideas, and finds that taking this broad theoretical view of intellectual freedom offers some useful insights into its strengths and weaknesses as an ethical cornerstone of the profession. ntellectual freedom is a com­ So ingrained and self-evident is this pelling theme in the profes­ theme that relatively few librarians have sional ethics of librarians. It is felt the need to explore its philosophical expressed in fervent support origins or to examine rigorously the con­ for the free trade in ideas and in vigorous siderable literature that legal scholars opposition to censorship. The Library Bill and political theorists have developed of Rights and the Freedom to Read state­ on the topic. The professional literature ments are embodiments of this theme. on this subject is rather sparse. This arti­ The former states that "all libraries are cle attempts to remedy this situation by forums for information and ideas" and examining the profession's stance on "should provide materials and infor­ censorship and the free flow of informa­ mation presenting all points of view on tion in a broad context of political and current and historical issues."1 The lat­ legal theory. Specifically, the aim will be ter, a spirited and eloquent defense of to make the philosophical links between freedom of expression, proclaims that "it this stance and a concept in constitu­ is in the public interest for publishers tional law known as the marketplace of and librarians to make available the ideas. Librarians, it will be argued, have widest diversity of views and expres­ embraced the essential content of this sions, including those which are unor­ concept, if not the term as such, but have thodox or unpopular with the majority."2 not fully comprehended its strengths The preamble to ALA's Code of Ethics, and weaknesses as a foundation for a adopted in 1981, states that "librarians stance on intellectual freedom. are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and THE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS the freedom of access to information" What is the marketplace of ideas con­ and "have a special obligation to ensure cept? It borrows directly from classical the free flow of information and ideas to laissez faire economics. In the market­ present and future generations." The sec­ place, where labor and goods are bought ond point of the six-point Code of Ethics is and sold, all individuals are in one way a direct call to "resist all efforts by or another players attempting to maxi­ groups or individuals to censor library mize their personal gain. Value of labor rna terials. " 3 and goods is determined by market Ronald J. Heckart is a librarian at the Institute of Governmental Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley., California 94720. 491 492 College & Research-Libraries November1991 forces-Adam Smith's invisible hand­ Persecution for the expression of and competition weeds out labor and opinions seems to me perfectly logical. goods that are outmoded, inefficient, or If you have not doubt of your premises of poor quality. This is process theory in or your power and want a certain re­ its purest form. The process itself-indi­ sult with all your heart you naturally viduals pursuing their rational self-inter­ express your wishes in law and sweep est in an unfettered market-promotes, in away all opposition. To allow opposi­ the long run, the most satisfactory and tion by speech seems to indicate that desirable products and the most produc­ you think the speech impotent, as tive use of labor and resources. when a man says that he has squared The concept's parallels to the argu­ the circle, or that you do not care ments that librarians and civil libertarians whole-heartedly for the result, or that use in support of the First Amendment you doubt either your power or your and freedom of speech are obvious. As premises. But when men have realized Mark Mid bon has observed: that time has upset many fighting It does not take great imagination to faiths, they may come to believe even see the American interpretation of lib­ more than they believe the very foun­ erty as an extension of capitalism from dations of their own conduct that the the economic realm to the intellectual ultimate good desired is better realm. Ideas and information compete reached by a free trade in ideas-that in the intellectual marketplace, just as the best test of truth is the power of the goods and services compete in the eco­ thought to get itself accepted in the nomic marketplace. All individuals competition of the market; and that are free to marshal their resources and truth is the only ground upon which place their intellectual products on the their wishes safely can be carried out. market.4 That at any rate is the theory of our No thinker has drawn the parallels Constitution. It is an experiment, as all between what Midbon calls economic cap­ life is an experiment. Every year, if not italism and intellectual capitalism more every day, we have to wager our sal­ strikingly than did Justice Oliver Wendall vation upon some prophecy based Holmes in his famous dissent in Abrams upon imperfect knowledge. While v. United States. In this case, the United that experiment is part of our system I States Supreme Court upheld the convic­ think that we should be eternally vig­ tions of five Russian emigrants under the ilant against attempts to check the ex­ 1917 Espionage Act for publishing two pression of opinions that we loathe leaflets castigating the United States gov­ and believe to be fraught with death, ernment for participating in efforts to unless they so imminently threaten overturn the Russian revolution during immediate interference with the law­ the First World War. The pamphleteers ful and pressing purposes of the law were convicted for conspiring to incite that an immediate check is required to resistance to the war and curtailment of save the country.6 war production. Hardly a sophisticated It should be said that the philosophical ring of subversives, they conducted a underpinnings of Holmes's formulation homespun pamphleteering operation. hardly emerged full blown with him. One of their modes of distribution was to They lie within the classical liberal tradi­ throw the pamphlets "from a window tion of John Stuart Mill and can be traced where one of the defendants was em­ back to John Milton's Areopagitica, writ­ ployed."5 Justice Holmes's dissent has ten in 1644.7 At their core is a concept of been referred to in almost every significant the truth. For Holmes, an old man who treatise on the First Amendment and free­ had lived long enough to see "time ... dom of speech since the 1920s. In one oft­ upset many fighting faiths," there was quoted passage, he gave the marketplace no absolute truth and, therefore, the best of ideas concept its first ~nd probably its available test of the truth was "the power most eloquently written formulation: of the thought to get itself accepted in the Marketplace of Ideas 493 competition of the market." Another stances against censorship and for free­ stance for this relativist position is to dom of expression well before the ap­ allow that while there may be absolute pearance of the Library Bill of Rights, 11 but truth, we, as imperfect beings with lim­ these views did not sweep through the ited vision, can never be sure that we profession as a whole until the late know it fully; that the best we can hope 1930s.U Why was this so, and what ori­ for is an ever closer approximation of the entation did it override? Delving into truth; and that the best way to achieve these questions thoroughly would re­ this ever closer approximation is a free quire a fulsome treatise on American li­ trade in ideas. Still another stance is to brary history. However, taking a brief assert with Karl R. Popper that while we historical turn to highlight some of the can never be sure that we know the truth, main points of the scholarly literature on we can root out falsity with certainty, these questions provides a context for and the best way to do this is a free trade the current marketplace of ideas ethos. in ideas.8 Irrespective of epistomological stance, THE STEWARDSHIP ORIENTATION the marketplace of ideas concept is an The professional orientation that held example of process theory. It is the pro­ sway into the 1930s has no standard cess itself that provides the measure of catchword to describe it, but it will be what the truth is, or advances us toward termed here a stewardship orientation. an ever closer approximation of the Libraries existed to conserve and to truth, or roots out falsity. Just as the most make available those works in literature, sa tis factory goods emerge through free the humanities, and the sciences that fell trade in the economic marketplace, so within general mainstream thinking as the most satisfactory version of the truth to what was valid, respectable, and use­ emerges through free trade in the mar­ ful. Librarians took it for granted that ketplace of ideas. Individuals act and their decisions about collections and ser­ make judgments in the marketplace, but vices were grounded in a broad-based market outcomes are the collective mea­ consensus shared by their clienteles, sure of truth at any given time.