ABFFE Urges Booksellers to Post Free Speech Pledge

With passions growing in the final weeks of the presidential campaign (as evidenced by reports of attacks on Booksmith in Seneca, South Carolina), the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) is reminding booksellers that one way to try to handle complaints about the content of the books they carry is to post a statement proclaiming their support for free speech.

ABFFE provides a model for such a statement -- "To Our Customers" -- that explains why booksellers believe it is important to carry a wide diversity of books, including works that some people may find offensive. It also promises customers that the bookstore will protect the privacy of their book purchases.

"There are many good reasons for making a clear statement of store policy on First Amendment issues," said ABFFE President Chris Finan said. "It makes the point that one of the most important roles of a bookstore is to protect free speech. This can be useful in dealing with complaints by reminding people that bookstores exist to serve the entire community."

"To Our Customers" is available in two versions that can be downloaded from the ABFFE Web site, www.abffe.com. One version superimposes the statement on a photograph of a child peeking into a book. The other features attractive drawings of books. The statements are available in color or in black and white.

"To Our Customers" is an updated version of a statement that ABFFE has been distributing since its founding in 1990. It now includes language from the model privacy statement that it began recommending in 1998. The model privacy statement was published as part of an ABFFE pamphlet, "Protecting Customer Privacy in Bookstores," which contains advice on handling customer records. To order a copy of the pamphlet, send an e-mail to Rebecca Zeidel.