Mrs. Toni Cox-Burns
President of the Board of Trustees
White Plains Public Library
100 Martine Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
Dear Mrs. Cox-Burns:
I have been apprised of the situation at White Plains regarding the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs by Mr. Medhat Credi and have studied the file of copied correspondence which he sent to me. As a public reference librarian and a bibliographer in the area of Middle East history I am appreciative of the great value of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs as virtually the only popular newsmagazine in the U.S. which covers this area in-depth and from an alternate point of view to the very vocal hardline pro-Israel lobby. Given the other publications you carry which comment on Middle East Affairs, I would feel it a matter of elementary fairness to carry the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, whether indexed by the H. W. Wilson Company or not (I should add that H. W. Wilson seems to have no clear criteria for what it indexes and may be in need of some balance itself!).
There is little I can add to the very thorough analysis undertaken by Mr. Credi of the inconsistencies in the justifications presented so far by the White Plains Public Library administration in refusing to accept his gift subscription. I can only view it as a possible form of censorship, whether intentional or not. The International Human rights Task Force of the ALA's Social Responsibilities Round Table has been very concerned with the problem of Israeli censorship in the Occupied West Bank and Gaza (as well as in Israel itself), and recently we have been turning our attention to serious cases of pro-Zionist censorship in the United States.
I hope that you and your Board of Trustees will insure that an alternative point of view on this subject can be made available at White Plains, and will decide to accept Mr. Credi's gift subscription.
Most Sincerely,
David L. William, Chair
Social Responsibilities Round Table
International Human Rights Task Force
c/o Chicago Public Library
Social Sciences & History Division
400 S. State St.
Chicago, IL 60605