Climate Denial Books - should public libraries stock them?

[Orang Utan]

Of course, opinions of all sorts should be available to everyone , but if they’re full of outright lies designed to mislead people and they’re written in bad faith by grifters
We wouldn’t stock Mein Kampf or any books promulgating ‘racial science’ but we do stock books that advocate pseudoscience, but am not sure where climate change denial books comes in between.
This is the book in question:

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change (The …

*Updated to include new section on the Green New Deal!*…

www.goodreads.com

As you can see from the other books suggested, the publisher is dodgy as fuck and we certainly wouldn’t stock The Politically Incorrect Guide To The South

 

[weltweit]

Mein Kampf is a piece of historical record, I should hope libraries do stock it.

 

[two sheds]

Could have them in the Fiction Section.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Mein Kampf is a piece of historical record, I should hope libraries do stock it.

It should be stocked at the kind of library academics do research at. The public library on the high street between Boots and Nandos? Certainly not.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Of course, opinions of all sorts should be available to everyone , but if they’re full of outright lies designed to mislead people and they’re written in bad faith by grifters
We wouldn’t stock Mein Kampf or any books promulgating ‘racial science’ but we do stock books that advocate pseudoscience, but am not sure where climate change denial books comes in between.
This is the book in question:

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change (The …

*Updated to include new section on the Green New Deal!*…

www.goodreads.com

As you can see from the other books suggested, the publisher is dodgy as fuck and we certainly wouldn’t stock The Politically Incorrect Guide To The South

As you say, public libraries do stock all kinds of nonsense - on astrology, etc. I guess it's a case of being pragmatic? Ensure that you have a good stock of books outlining the scientific case for anthropogenic climate change? Just as, hopefully, you stock books saying why astrology is bollocks.

I can see how this is tricky. Would you stock The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, a disgusting, racist, and simply wrong book that was something of a bestseller?

 

[LDC]

Of course, opinions of all sorts should be available to everyone , but if they’re full of outright lies designed to mislead people and they’re written in bad faith by grifters
We wouldn’t stock Mein Kampf or any books promulgating ‘racial science’ but we do stock books that advocate pseudoscience, but am not sure where climate change denial books comes in between.
This is the book in question:

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change (The …

*Updated to include new section on the Green New Deal!*…

www.goodreads.com

As you can see from the other books suggested, the publisher is dodgy as fuck and we certainly wouldn’t stock The Politically Incorrect Guide To The South

It's a good question. Public libraries I think on balance if it's an important book probably yes (although in some appropriate section like with the loon hippie stuff) but given that I imagine funds are limited and not every book can be stocked why bother with them? Like should they seek out every astrology/crystal healing book that sells hardly any copies to put in the library?

 

[SpookyFrank]

I got Michael Crichton's State of Fear, a climate change denial book dressed up as a novel, out of a public library.

It's actually worth reading because it plays out the 'climate hoax' narrative including who is responsible for it, how they do it and why; and it's all ludicrous but also done with a completely straight face. Crichton even puts a list of references in the back, which characters effectively cite throughout the story. A useful insight into just how stupid climate change denial is IMO.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It's a good question. Public libraries I think on balance probably yes (although in some appropriate section like with the loon hippie stuff) but given that I imagine funds are limited and not every book can be stocked why bother with them? Like should they seek out every astrology/crystal healing book that sells hardly any copies to out in the library?

Yes. No obligation to order it in, but someone can always request it.

 

[Orang Utan]

As you say, public libraries do stock all kinds of nonsense - on astrology, etc. I guess it's a case of being pragmatic? Ensure that you have a good stock of books outlining the scientific case for anthropogenic climate change? Just as, hopefully, you stock books saying why astrology is bollocks.

I can see how this is tricky. Would you stock The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, a disgusting, racist, and simply wrong book that was something of a bestseller?

Quite
and, yes, I doubt that is available in public libraries here

 

[Orang Utan]

It's a good question. Public libraries I think on balance if it's an important book probably yes (although in some appropriate section like with the loon hippie stuff) but given that I imagine funds are limited and not every book can be stocked why bother with them? Like should they seek out every astrology/crystal healing book that sells hardly any copies to out in the library?

People ask for certain books and if enough people ask for them they do get stocked. It’s quite democratic in that way.

I’m not too fussed about finding the climate change on the shelves, as it’s been there for a few years and no-one’s ever borrowed it

 

[littlebabyjesus]

People ask for certain books and if enough people ask for them they do get stocked. It’s quite democratic in that way.

I think I'd be reluctant to override that system. Would need to be a very exceptional case - such as a bunch of nazis banding together to request Mein Kampf.

 

[DaveCinzano]

It should be stocked at the kind of library academics do research at. The public library on the high street between Boots and Nandos? Certainly not.

Well, as a child who checked that book out of their local library I am glad that I could without having to be an academic.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Well, as a child who checked that book out of their local library I am glad that I could without having to be an academic.

ok. I'm quite happy if children of today aren't afforded the same opportunity tbh. tHere's only space in public libraries for so many books. Maybe a larger library might have a dedicated Holocaust research section where it might fit? If not, I would say there's probably insufficient context for it to be on the shelves. Give the space to something else.

You don't have to be an academic to go into large research libraries, but it does take some effort.

 

[StoneRoad]

Of course, opinions of all sorts should be available to everyone , but if they’re full of outright lies designed to mislead people and they’re written in bad faith by grifters
We wouldn’t stock Mein Kampf or any books promulgating ‘racial science’ but we do stock books that advocate pseudoscience, but am not sure where climate change denial books comes in between.
This is the book in question:

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change (The …

*Updated to include new section on the Green New Deal!*…

www.goodreads.com

As you can see from the other books suggested, the publisher is dodgy as fuck and we certainly wouldn’t stock The Politically Incorrect Guide To The South

Don't think that deserves shelf space.

If you "had" to get it in response to requests, then IMHO it should end up with the restricted adult fiction

 

[Orang Utan]

Don't think that deserves shelf space.

If you "had" to get it in response to requests, then IMHO it should end up with the restricted adult fiction

There’s no such thing as restricted adult fiction

 

[mmskyscraper]

Explain to me how banning books that you don’t like differs in any way to the Nazis burning books that they didn’t like?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Explain to me how banning books that you don’t like differs in any way to the Nazis burning books that they didn’t like?

Choosing not to buy a book (libraries have to buy books you know!) does not equal banning books.

Hth

 

[mmskyscraper]

Choosing not to buy a book (libraries have to buy books you know!) does not equal banning books.

Hth

You’ve gone literal, I was being figurative. It’s fine.

Calling for books that you don’t like to be made not available is censorship.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

dunno really.

not comfortable with the idea of (for example) books promoting race hate or holocaust denial being in public libraries, but at a time when libraries in america are getting closed / de-funded if they don't get rid of books with LGBTQ content, i'm not comfortable with politicians getting to decide what books / subjects should be removed from libraries.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

The UK's library system is the reverse of censorship. There are five legal deposit libraries plus the British Library that can demand to have any book published in the UK. They have just about everything basically. They're amazing publicly funded resources. So the opposite of nazi book burning.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

dunno really.

not comfortable with the idea of (for example) books promoting race hate or holocaust denial being in public libraries, but at a time when libraries in america are getting closed / de-funded if they don't get rid of books with LGBTQ content, i'm not comfortable with politicians getting to decide what books / subjects should be removed from libraries.

What about librarians?

Also removing a book is a bit different from just not buying it in the first place. Libraries have to make choices. And 8f a book is never borrowed they have to decide whether it's worth keeping. Looks like this book's ultimate fate is to end up being unread.

 

[mmskyscraper]

The UK's library system is the reverse of censorship. There are five legal deposit libraries plus the British Library that can demand to have any book published in the UK. They have just about everything basically. They're amazing publicly funded resources. So the opposite of nazi book burning.

Who’s on about the libraries? I’m responding to the OP’s question.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Who’s on about the libraries? I’m responding to the OP’s question.

Are you ? Doesn't come across that way. You're comparing libraries potentially choosing not to stock certain books with book burning nazis.

Pretty stupid comparison.

 

[mmskyscraper]

Are you ? Doesn't come across that way. You're comparing libraries potentially choosing not to stock certain books with book burning nazis.

Pretty stupid comparison.

That’s in your head you absolute mentalist. I didn’t mention a library, you did. I was responding to the OP.

Nice to see in twenty years there’s still a few fucking nut jobs around who just want to start arguments.

Over and out.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

The op about libraries posted by a librarian? That op?

 

[rubbershoes]

As a child, I got from the library the books of Lobsang Rampa about his life in a Tibetan monastery.

Instead of being written by a Tibetan monk, they were actually by a plumber from Devon. When unmasked, he maintained they were real and his body had been taken over by Rampa.

The books aren't doing any real harm other than giving a false impression of Tibetans and their culture. They're a a pack of lies, but I'm glad the library had them.

 

[Orang Utan]

dunno really.

not comfortable with the idea of (for example) books promoting race hate or holocaust denial being in public libraries, but at a time when libraries in america are getting closed / de-funded if they don't get rid of books with LGBTQ content, i'm not comfortable with politicians getting to decide what books / subjects should be removed from libraries.

The author of the book has gone out of his way to publishing the personal details of climate scientists and then said they should be publicly flogged.


as I said, it’s not opinion that’s the issue here, but deliberately telling lies to influence public opinion, which is what ‘racial scientists’ do, and no one stocks their propaganda anymore

 

[platinumsage]

It should be stocked at the kind of library academics do research at. The public library on the high street between Boots and Nandos? Certainly not.

Oh yes, don't let the proles read it, they're too stupid to interpret it in its proper context. I mean, a thick non-academic couldn't possibly read it and improve their understanding of Nazism and the holocaust.

I'm sure as you're not an academic you couldn't read a climate change denying book and improve your refutations of climate change deniers. No, you'd inevitably be beguiled into becoming a climate change denier yourself.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Oh yes, don't let the proles read it, they're too stupid to interpret it in its proper context. I mean, a thick non-academic couldn't possibly read it and improve their understanding of Nazism and the holocaust.

I'm sure as you're not an academic you couldn't read a climate change denying book and improve your refutations of climate change deniers. No, you'd inevitably be beguiled into becoming a climate change denier yourself.

You feel better now?

How's about you don't read crap into other people's posts that isn't there?

 

[platinumsage]

You feel better now?

How's about you don't read crap into other people's posts that isn't there?

I'm interested in what other non-academic books you think must be restricted to academic libraries.