Undecking the halls: why Christmas decorations do not belong in public library spaces.

Although the appropriateness of Christmas decorations has been debated in the US for many years, it does not yet appear to be discussed in Australia. Public libraries have a responsibility to be impartial in their delivery of collections and services. This should include the provision of an impartial physical environment or public face, which Christmas decorations undermine. There are several arguments made for Christmas decorations in libraries, all of which are contestable. To retain neutrality of the public library face, all religious or cultural celebrations should be limited to educative displays in delineated spaces such as display cabinets

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At the end of year public library staff are likely to bring the boxes of Christmas decorations out of storage and spend a morning merrily decorating shelving, service desks and anything else within reach with tinsel, Santas, fake Christmas trees and assorted Christmas paraphernalia. They may even insist upon pumping Christmas carols across the public address system. Every year library staff treat the space of the public library as if it is their own home, with apparent management acquiescence or even encouragement.

The appropriateness of Christmas decorations (particularly Christmas trees) in public libraries has been debated in American libraries for many years. (1) Yet it does not appear to have been raised as an issue in Australian public libraries. The principles at stake, however, demand serious attention by those with responsibility for public library services.

Public library policy framework

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (Unesco) Public library manifesto (2) states that the public library is the local 'gateway to knowledge' and 'provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision making and cultural development of the individual and social groups'. To this end, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (Ira) Glasgow Declaration (3) states that 'library and information services shall make materials, facilities and services equally accessible to all users' and that

   libraries and information services shall acquire,
   preserve and make available the widest variety of
   materials, reflecting the plurality and diversity of
   society. The selection and availability of library
   materials and services shall be governed by
   professional considerations and not by political, moral
   and religious views.

The Australian Library and Information Association's (Alia) policy on free access to information (4) asserts the

   equal and equitable rights of citizens to information
   regardless of age, race, gender, religion, disability,
   cultural identity, language, socioeconomic status,
   lifestyle choice, political allegiance or social
   viewpoint

and that libraries and information services have responsibility to

   [adopt] an inclusive approach in developing and
   implementing policies ...'. Libraries also must '[cater]
   for interest in contemporary issues without promoting
   or suppressing particular beliefs and ideas.

Alia's policy on public libraries (5) states

   a public library services its community through the
   provision of access to knowledge, information and
   works of imagination through a range of resources and
   services.

Professional ethics requires library managers and other librarians to put aside personal viewpoints and serve library users and create collections with complete neutrality. This they generally endeavour to do.

It is a logical extrapolation from these platforms of impartiality in collections and services to assert public libraries have a responsibility to create an impartial and detached physical environment. If it is a 'gateway to knowledge' then all the resources and services of the library must come together to create a completely impartial public face.

The semiotics of the public library space

As Wagner (6) points out the public face of the library is made up of many elements including governing documents, library location, library architecture, external signage, internal spatial arrangements and specific elements such as foyers and desks. All these elements are powerful signifiers with implicit messages--often manifestations of the power of the state over other concerns, including professional. When Christmas decorations are allowed to be attached to these fixed parts of the library, they form a part of the face of the library.

The meanings of Christmas

There are, of course, arguments about whether Christmas is a religious celebration or a cultural tradition. Christmas also represents many things to many people. Regardless of a person's religious faith there are those that love Christmas; those who hate its ubiquity; those that find Christmas a distressing time and those who are simply indifferent. Those who hang Christmas decorations, and those who must therefore view them, will interpret Christmas decorations in a variety of ways. Like all signs, they may be decoded in a different way to that intended.

If the view is taken that Christmas decorations can be interpreted religious symbols, by allowing them to be attached to state property libraries are failing to support the fundamental doctrine of the separation of church and state. It is extremely curious that library policies routinely disallow displays of a religious nature, but leave their staff free to decorate the library however they wish.

If it is argued that Christmas is just a commercial exercise, this is all the more reason that it has no place being physically attached to a space that is supposedly exempt from commercial pressures and usually bans notices of a commercial nature.

Skewing the gateway

Ultimately it is irrelevant whether these decorations are religious symbols or cultural tradition. By attaching them to the key structural elements of the library, libraries are skewing the 'gateway' and failing to present a neutral public face--conveying the message that 'this is who we are and how we see the world'. They are privileging a particular view or tradition and implying that the library filters its services through that world view. By privileging a view or tradition they are unavoidably treating people with other identities or viewpoints--whether they be religious, cultural or social--in an unequal and detrimental manner. At best this is insensitive. At worst it can only be described as a practice which serves to suppress and exclude.

As a consequence of consideration of the issues, some public libraries in the US now choose not to display Christmas decorations. For example the Library Board of Lucy Robins Welles Library in Newington, Connecticut passed a policy against holiday decorations. The library

   still has displays of books appropriate to the season.
   [They] still have programs with a holiday theme.
   People make conscious choices to read those books or
   attend those programs. They don't intrude upon a
   library visit or make anyone feel like an outsider. (7)

This, surely, is an appropriate way for public libraries to recognise Christmas.

Common responses

There are a number of arguments made for the retention of Christmas decorations in public libraries.

Why shouldn't libraries have decorations ... everyone else does it Public libraries are unique public spaces and should not be measured against the practices of other organisations. Libraries 'serve as gateways to knowledge, thought and culture'. This is not the charter of the supermarket, Myers, the post office, or other council services. Public libraries require unique policies to cover the unique position they hold in society.

But of course Christmas is inclusive Even if the library believes there are no implicit messages in the decorations, individuals will interpret them in a variety of ways. That people would believe them to be universally interpreted in the one way ie positively, displays a certain arrogance.

But we've never had a single complaint This sounds persuasive. However the fact there have been no complaints in no way proves that everyone feels completely comfortable with the situation or understands the principles at stake.

But we celebrate all those other festivals--why shouldn't we celebrate Christmas? Do libraries really celebrate other religious or cultural festivals to the same degree as Christmas? Even if they did celebrate other events to the same degree, this would be an equally inappropriate use of the public library space.

But the council messages are already politically correct.. They just say 'Season's Greetings' and 'Goodwill to all'. They don't even mention Christmas There is less of an issue with these types of messages. However, they are clearly still Christmas messages. They do not occur at any other time of the year. These messages are then often overlaid with Christmas paraphernalia with the scope to be interpreted in a variety of ways.

But the library staff won't like it Essentially this is an issue of educating staff to the role of public libraries and the special nature of the public library space.

But it'll divide the community Libraries may choose not to engage with this issue to avoid 'rocking the boat' or because they perceive it as 'just too hard'. Unless it is brought to their attention, most library users probably would not even notice. The people who will notice are the very people at which the policy is aimed.

No doubt there is also apprehension of a political backlash. However library managers should not be afraid of having to deal with negative responses from the community should they arise. There are good reasons for having this policy, which may need to be articulated to the broader community. Surely, as a profession, librarianship has a responsibility to show leadership on this issue. There are ways and means this can be achieved without being divisive.

What about freedom of expression etc? Aren't libraries supposed to be against censorship? Arguing for appropriate use of public library space is not censorship. As Bleiweiss (8) states

   Libraries have to consider the difference between the
   freedom of staff members to express themselves and
   the freedom of the patron.

This freedom of expression is outweighed by the ethics of impartiality. It needs to be done, as well as be seen to be done.

The uniqueness of public libraries

The issue of Christmas decorations in public libraries can be contentious and emotive. However the context is that all public librarians would want their libraries to be welcoming and socially inclusive places.

Public libraries hold a unique place in society as the gateway to knowledge for all members of the community. Their policies and practices at all levels should manifest the utilization of all of their resources to create a physical environment which reflects the impartiality of their collections and services.

Regardless of the intention behind Christmas decorations, when attached to key structural parts of public libraries, they fail to create a neutral public face. Those decorations serve to support one world view--whether religious, cultural or social--and unavoidably treat people with other world views in an unequal and detrimental manner. Some public libraries now recognise this and refrain from displaying Christmas decorations.

A commonsense way

A commonsense way that religious or cultural events can be recognised by public libraries is through information displays in delineated spaces within the library, such as a display case. This clearly retains the neutrality of the public library space; treats all religious or cultural events in an equal manner; and is an appropriate use of library resources.

It is therefore suggested that each public library service bring forward early in the year calm, dispassionate, discussion on this as a policy issue, taking into consideration all of the above principles and issues.

There is no doubt that such discussions would bring to the fore other questions of public library responses to diversity in general.

Given their unique place in society, how all public libraries, and public librarians, lead in doing so is extremely important.

References

(1) Rogers, M The decorations debate Library journal 1 March 2003 pp60-61 and see discussions on mailing list 'Publib' http://lists.webjunction.org/wjlists/publib/

(2) Ifla and Unesco Public library manifesto The Hague, Ifla 1994 (1949)

(3) Ifla The Glasgow declaration on libraries, information services and intellectual freedom The Hague, Ifla 2002

(4) Australian Library and Information Association Statement on free access to information Canberra, Australian Library and Information Association 2001

(5) Australian Library and Information Association Statement on public library services Canberra, Australian Library and Information Association 2004

(6) Wagner, G Public libraries as agents of communication: a semiotic analysis Metuchen, New Jersey, Scarecrow Press 1992

(7) Bleiweiss, M Not feeling like Christmas Wilson library bulletin October 1994 p24

(8) ibid

A response from the Australian Library and Information Association

Alia's policy position relating to public libraries is covered in our Statement on public library services and related statements such as those on Core values and free access to information see http://alia.org.au/policies/public.library.services.html.

Alia's position on the appropriateness of Christmas decorations in public libraries is that we would see this as a matter of operational policy for the library service and its parent body eg local government authority

NOTE The Social Development Department of Moreland City Council has discussed this issue and decided not to discontinue Christmas decorations in its libraries. The views expressed above do not therefore represent the views of the author's employer.

Tonya Lewis BBus GradDipInfMgt is an adult/information services librarian at Moreland City Libraries in Melbourne. She spent five years at the State Library of Victoria as a project officer in the Library Networking Unit and senior policy and research officer to the state librarian/CEO. Tonya is currently studying towards a graduate diploma in communications at Victoria University in Melbourne. Address: Moreland City Libraries PO Box 113 Coburg Vic 3058 [e-mail]

Tonya Lewis Adult/Information Services Librarian Moreland City Libraries Victoria

Received November 2005