A Quantitative Comparison of Non-Terrorist Islamic Literature versus Islamic Terrorism based Literature in the Public Libraries of New York and

Transcription

1 A Quantitative Comparison of Non-Terrorist Islamic Literature versus Islamic Terrorism based Literature in the Public Libraries of New York and Minnesota as compared to previous findings in North Carolina Libraries Marilyn Zamarripa LIS Action Research Dr. Hersberger March 18, 2007

2 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND LITERATURE REVIEW RESEARCH METHODS Figure 1.A The Counties of New York and Those Studied for Action Research Figure 1.A The Counties of Minnesota and Those Studied for Action Research RESULTS Table 1.A: Data from the 2000 United States Census for New York Table 1.B: Data from the 2000 United States Census for Minnesota Table 2.A: Results of Subject Search for New York Counties Table 2.B: Results of Subject Search for Minnesota Counties Table 2.C: Results of Subject Search for New York City Research Library ANALYSIS Analysis of Population Data Figure 2.A: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in New York Counties Figure 2.B: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in Minnesota Counties Figure 2.C: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in New York County (Manhattan Island) Analysis of Subject Search Data Islam vs. Terrorism Figure 3A: Results of Subject - Sampled New York State Counties in March 2007 Figure 3B: Results of Subject - Sampled Minnesota Counties in March 2007 Figure 3C: Results of Subject - Sampled North Carolina Counties in Oct 2006 Figure 3D: Results of Subject Search for the states of New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Figure 4: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in New York, Minnesota and North Carolina

3 3 Figure 5: Percent of Total Population of Arab Decent in the states of New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Figure 6: of Subject Search for the states of New York, Minnesota and North Carolina and the New York Counties of Kings County and Suffolk County Analysis of Subject Search Data Terrorism Material Figure 7A: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials in the Collections for New York Counties Figure 7B: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials in the Collections for Minnesota Counties Figure 7C: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials in the Collections for New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Counties Analysis of Subject Search Data Islam Material Figure 8A: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials in the Collections for New York Counties Figure 8B: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials in the Collections for Minnesota Counties Figure 8C: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials in the Collections for New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Counties Analysis of Subject Search Data Terrorism and Islam Collection Compared.. 25 Figure 9A: The Ratios that Shows a Comparison of the Materials that are Dedicated to Islam and Terrorism in both the Islam and Terrorism Collections for New York Counties Figure 9B: The Ratios that Shows a Comparison of the Materials that are Dedicated to Islam and Terrorism in both the Islam and Terrorism Collections for Minnesota Counties Figure 9C: The Ratios that Shows a Comparison of the Materials that are Dedicated to Islam and Terrorism in both the Islam and Terrorism Collections for New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Counties Analysis of New York County Manhattan Island Figure 10: Results of Subject Search New York City Research Library in March 2007 Figure 11.A: Results of Subject Search The county libraries in New York State, the New York Public Library and the New York City Research Library Figure 11B: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials Figure 11C: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials

4 4 RESEARCH FLAWS CONCLUSION WORKS CITED APPENDICES Appendix A: List of the Tem Most Populous Counties (New York and Minnesota Appendix B.1: List of All Counties in New York from the 2000 Census Appendix B.2: List of All Counties in Minnesota from the 2000 Census Appendix C: Table of Random Numbers Appendix D: Randomly Selected Counties (New York and Minnesota) Appendix E: Tables and Figures from the 2006 study of North Carolina Table 1: Data from the 2000 United States Census North Carolina Table 3: Results of Subject Search North Carolina Counties Figure 2: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 from the 2000 Census North Carolina Figure 4: Results of Subject Search for the Sampled NC Counties in October of 2006 Figure 5: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials in the Collections for North Carolina Counties Figure 6: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorist Materials in the Collections for North Carolina Counties Figure 7: The Ratios that Shows a Comparison of the Materials that are Dedicated to Islam and Terrorism in both the Islam and Terrorism Collections for North Carolina counties

5 5 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND September 11, 2001 was a national tragedy and we have had to make many adjustments in the way we go about our lives. It also put patriotism back in fashion and new anti-terrorism laws were quickly enacted to combat terrorism and increase domestic security. The new national security acts have caused multiple challenges for libraries and the rights of United States citizens. There are changes to the places users are able to find information, new regulations governing what information can and cannot be accessed and new intelligence agencies monitoring users communications. There was also an increasing need by the public to understand what was happening. Who were these people who interrupted our lives so? Ideas and words were being discussed in the nightly news and in the newspapers that we did not fully understand. What is Islam and what do the people who practice Islam believe? Who are the terrorists? Are all Arabs Islamic, are all Arabs terrorists? What is an Islamic terrorist and does that mean all Islamic people are terrorists? What is exactly meant by religious terrorism and how does al Qaeda and Muslim fit in this picture? In the aftermath of September 11 th many people became racist and hateful towards Arabs, Muslims and those of Islamic faith. The word Islam became synonymous with terrorist in many peoples eyes and the 9/11 terrorists were often referred to as Islamic terrorists. People turned to online resources and their local library to learn more about terrorism and the religion that the 9/11 terrorists followed. Libraries responded by building online gateways to information on terrorism and by enhancing their own collections in response to the increased demand for information. One of the goals of the public library should be to balance the information provided about terrorism as well as Islam and Islamic history apart from terrorism. In 2006, a research study was conducted with the goal of exploring the relationship between Islam and terrorism within the collections of the public libraries in North Carolina. The study concluded that the subject of terrorism is more popular in North Carolina libraries than the subject of Islam. It also found that North Carolina libraries appear to have developed a balanced collection around these two subject areas, i.e., their collections have more Islamic not terrorism, than Islamic and terrorism. The researcher(s) of this study of the library catalogs did conclude that their results were by no means flawless. Several limitations in the research were documented so that future studies in this area could be conducted and future researchers could either validate or expand on the findings. Several of these areas are not within the time constraints of this study. However, one suggestion made by the researcher(s) was that the library collections of other states be examined to determine if the findings for these states are consistent with the findings in North Carolina. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to determine if the findings of the 2006 study of North Carolina libraries are consistent with two other states. The states of New York and Minnesota were chosen. New York has been the target of terrorism for several

6 6 years and, most recently, the September 11, 2001 bombings of the World Trade Center. Minnesota is a quiet northern Midwest state, far from terrorist activities and away from the East Coast. While reviewing the state of New York, a further examination of New York County i.e., Manhattan Island will be made to determine if there are any anomalies in the New York City Library. While New York City is actually five boroughs (Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island), people commonly refer to New York City as just the island of Manhattan. In this paper, therefore, New York City will refer to Manhattan Island. The same data collection and analysis as used in the 2006 study will be performed in this research. This will allow for a consistent comparison between the two studies and the three states. Statewide averages will be developed by the selection of counties within each state using a combination of selection and random sampling. The online catalogs for the selected libraries will be searched. Population statistics from the 2000 United States Census will be used. According to a 2006 research study, North Carolina libraries provide equal access to material on terrorism as well as Islam and Islamic history apart from terrorism. The study did not find a correlation between the library collections and educational level or ethnicity of the population served by the library. It is hypothesized in this research that New York will have a higher level of interest in terrorism than Minnesota or North Carolina, but the library collections in both states will remain balanced. It is also hypothesized that there will be a lower interest in terrorism in Minnesota and that their collection would be unbalanced with more material dealing with Islam and terrorism versus Islam and not-terrorism. One reason for this is the assumption that there are probably few people of Arab descent in Minnesota who would be interested in Islam apart from terrorism and that the education level in Minnesota is lower than in New York.

7 7 LITERATURE REVIEW Very little literature can be found that directly focuses on the effect of September 11 on library collections. However, there are many examples and articles about how the libraries responded to public needs at this time. In the wake of September 11, libraries across the country including those in New York City and Washington helped their communities who were traumatized, saddened, and angered (Libraries Represent Stability 2001) by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. At the top of the list of requested books at New York Public Library branches, most of which opened the day after the attack, were books on the Koran and histories of Islam and the Middle East. Public libraries in Brooklyn and Queens posted disaster and coping information on their web sites. All of the libraries in Washington D.C. were open the day after the crash and librarians prepared reading lists which were also posted on their website. (Libraries Represent Stability 2001) Within hours of the events of September 11, the Library of Congress staff began to collect a vast array of original materials concerning the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 s crash in Pennsylvania. Exhibits followed with photographs, illustrations, magazines, posters and art. (Baker 2002, 32) In the months and years that followed, libraries like The University of Alabama library, did outreach programs such as Understanding Islam Post 9/11 which included building a bibliography of library and web resources relating to Islam. Another example can be found in the joint community outreach programs put together by The Briggs Library at South Dakota State University and the Brookings Public Library. (Krishnamurthy 2004) Joe Klein, a senior writer for Time magazine speaking at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in 2007, told the audience that he himself had used libraries extensively to educate himself about Islam, national security, and many other relevant topics (Martin, 2007). He went on to say that we are involved in a long and sporadic conflict with Islamic extremists and we need to be teaching about that region and underscored the importance of librarians in this process. One study was conducted by Illinois Libraries in the January Questionnaires were sent to 629 non-contract public libraries concerning security, staff attitudes, collection development and knowledge of the USA PATRIOT Act. Responses were received from 553 libraries or 87.9%. Nearly half (46.5%) reported that the events of 9/11 had influenced their collections. (The response was lower than expected but was considered appropriate because 65% of the libraries responding serve a community of less than 10,000, therefore funding is limited.) About one-third (32%) of responding libraries stated that they had acquired more historical or political materials, 19.4% had acquired more materials related to Islam and 17.0% acquired more materials

8 8 concerning terrorism, bioterrorism and germ warfare. Several libraries reported acquiring more books on patriotism and self-help and psychology to help understand and cope with the events of 9/11. Still others reported increasing their collection on diversity. (Estabrook 2002, 3) Another source demonstrating the demand for books and information after 9/11 is the booksellers. In the Fall of 2001, book sales were down, but immediately after September 11 one bookseller reported a high demand for books on terrorism and the Twin Towers with later demand for books on Islam, the Taliban and Middle East history (Nawotka 2001, 18). Another bookseller reported a similar high demand for books about Islam, Afghanistan, the Middle East, terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy. The book orders were not only from resellers but libraries as well. As the war goes on, people will want to figure out what and who we are fighting, stated the seller. I don t think the news media has helped us understand these issues (Mutter 2001, 17). September 11, 2001 suddenly brought about the need for information on subjects that had previously been fairly obscure: subjects such as Islam, Muslim relations with the West and the history of Terrorism. While we can find articles on this increase in interest and we can find examples of libraries increasing their collections in these areas, no information was found on how the communities are using this information.

9 9 RESEARCH METHODS Data was collected and analyzed in this research project in the same was as the 2006 study. This allows for a consistent comparison between the two studies and the three states. The data collection included: Statewide averages were developed by the selection of counties within New York and Minnesota using a combination of selection and random sampling. The counties examined were the ten most populous counties within each state along with ten randomly selected counties. The same method of random sampling was used as was performed previously. Counties were numbered and using the Table of Random Numbers (Appendix C), selection was based on the first two numbers listed in the column. If the county was already chosen, the third number was used to determine the county. There were some instances when this still did not identify a unique county. In this case, another combination of the three numbers was used or in one case, the next row was used. Countywide public libraries with online catalogs were analyzed. When a public library system supports multiple counties, those counties were considered samples for the study. The results were 27 counties or 84% of the population in New York and 44 counties or 82% of the population in Minnesota. Figure 1.A and 1.B list the counties that were chosen using this selection process. Subject keyword searches and subject keyword combinations were performed using the following phrases: terrorism, Islam, Islam and terrorism, and Islam not terrorism. Statistics were collected on the total number of books listed in the catalog for each search. Population statistics from the 2000 United States Census were used. This included total population and education as well as statistics for populations with Arab heritage. All information was analyzed using Microsoft Excel. This study did not examine catalogs outside the two states of New York and Minnesota. Included in the 2006 study were the catalogs of Worldcat, Redlightgreen.com and Biblioteque nationale de France. These catalogs were examined to provide control data and that same information was used in this study. In addition, the research looked specifically at the New York City Library, both the Public and Research sections, to determine if there are any anomalies for New York City versus the state of New York.

10 Figure 1.A The Counties of New York and Those Studied for Action Research 10 Top Ten Populous Counties Kings (Brooklyn) Queens Suffolk Nassau Erie Westchester Monroe Onondaga Cooperative A New York (Manhattan or NYC) Bronx *Richmond (Staten Island) Randomly Selected Counties & Related Library Systems Cooperative B -- Upper Hudson Library System Albany Rensselaer Cooperative C -- Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System Chautauqua Cattaraugus Cooperative D -- Mid-Hudson Library System Columbia Duchess Greene Putnam Ulster Cooperative E -- Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System Clinton Essex Franklin Cooperative F -- Mohawk Valley Library System Schoharie Fulton Montgomery Schenectady * Richmond County was randomly selected but it is served by the NCY Public Library.

11 11 Figure 1.B The Counties Minnesota and Those Studied for Action Research Top Ten Populous Counties Randomly Selected Counties & Related Library Systems Hennepin Cooperative B - East Central Regional Library Ramsey Aitkin Dakota Isanti Anoka Mille Lacs Washington Chisago St. Louis Kanabec Coop A - Great River Regional Library Coop C - Traverse des Sioux Library System Benton Brown Morrison Blue Earth Sherburne Faribault *Stearns Le Sueur Todd Martin *Wright Le Sueur Olmsted Sibley Scott Waseca * Top population counties & Watonwan _ associated Regional Library Cooperative D - Lake Agassiz Regional Library Coop E - Pioneerland Library System Clearwater Big Stone Polk Swift Mahnomen Meeker Norman McLeod Clay Renville Becker Yellow Medicine Wilkin Lac qui Parle Chippewa Kandiyohi

12 12 RESULTS This section shows the results of the statistical data gathered. It is divided into two sections: Table 1 - United States Census data from 2000 and Table 2 - Data collected by performing subject searches on the library catalogs within the selected counties. New York 27 counties 14 libraries or library systems - represents 84% of the state population Minnesota 44 counties 13 libraries or library systems - represents 82% of the state population Table 1.A: Data from the 2000 United States Census for New York Total Arab Heritage High School Some College Assoc. Degree Bach. Degree Grad/Prof Population Pop # % # % # % # % # % # % Over 25 Kings 2,465,326 35, , , , , , ,552,870 Queens 2,229,379 16, , , , , , ,509,502 Suffolk 1,419,369 4, , , , , , ,401 Nassau 1,334,544 6, , , , , , ,693 Erie 950,265 6, , , , , , ,676 Westchester 923,459 5, , , , , , ,941 Monroe 735,343 3, , , , , , ,957 Onondaga 458,336 3, , , , , , ,914 Coop. A 3,313, , , , , , ,214,574 Coop. B 447,103 2, , , , , , ,614 Coop. C 223, , , , , , ,415 Coop. D 664,933 2, , , , , , ,579 Coop. E 169, , , , , , ,417 Coop. F 282,918 1, , , , , , ,646 Coop. G 283, , , , , ,127 Total 15,901, , ,816, ,742, , ,701, ,294, ,546,326 Average 1,060,113 7, , ,150 47, ,432 86, ,088 Table 1.B: Data from the 2000 United States Census for Minnesota Total Arab Heritage High School Some College Assoc. Degree Bach. Degree Grad/Prof Population Pop # % # % # % # % # % # % Over 25 Hennepin 1,116,200 4, , , , , , ,444 Ramsey 511,035 2, , , , , , ,214 Dakota 355,904 1, , , , , , ,313 Anoka 298,084 1, , , , , , ,122 Washington 201, , , , , ,215 St. Louis 200, , , , , , ,801 Olmsted 124, , , , , , ,277 Scott 89, , , , , , ,564 Coop. A 377, , , , , , ,996 Coop. B 125, , , , , , ,456 Coop. C 222, , , , , , ,760 Coop. D 140, , , , , , ,263 Coop. E 165, , , , , , ,760 Blue Earth 55, , , , , , ,684 Freeborn 32, , , , , ,363 Steele 33, , , , , , ,550 Total 4,051,300 13, , , , , , ,624,782 Average 253, ,086 37,268 11,844 31,352 13, ,049

13 13 Table 2.A: Results of Subject Search for New York Counties Terrorism - Ratio of Ration of Ratio of Ratio of Islamic + Islamic - Islamic+ Islamic+ Terrorism - Islamic+ Islamic- Terrorism Islamic Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism/ Islamic/ Terrorism/ Terrorism/ Materials Materials Materials Materials Materials * Terrorism Terrorism Islamic Islamic Kings Queens Suffolk Nassau Erie Westchester Monroe Onondaga Coop. A Coop. B Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Coop. F Coop. G Total Average n/a n/a n/a n/a * This is a calculated value Table 2.B: Results of Subject Search for Minnesota Counties Terrorism - Ratio of Ration of Ratio of Ratio of Islamic + Islamic - Islamic+ Islamic + Terrorism - Islamic+ Islamic- Terrorism Islamic Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism/ Islamic/ Terrorism/ Terrorism/ Materials Materials Materials Materials Materials* Terrorism Terrorism Islamic Islamic Hennepin Ramsey Dakota Anoka Washington St. Louis Olmsted N/A ** Scott Coop. A Coop. B Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Blue Earth Freeborn Steele Total Average n/a n/a n/a n/a * This is a calculated value ** Catalog could not be searched for 'not'

14 14 Table 1 represents the data collected from the 2000 United States Census gathered from the Fact Finder website. If one of the original twenty counties selected, either by population or at random, was part of a regional library or library system, the remaining counties served by that library were also included in the research and therefore in the population data. The population data for the individual counties within the cooperative were retrieved separately and aggregated into a total population for that cooperative. Table 2 represents data collected by performing advance subject searches for the following key words: Terrorism Islam Islam and Terrorism Islam not Terrorism The library catalogs were searched March 16-18, New York City Library is divided into a Public Library and a Research Library. Table 2A, Cooperative A represents New York City Public Library and serves the counties of New York, Bronx and Richmond. Table 2C below represents the same searches against the catalog of New York City Research Library. Table 2.C: Results of Subject Search for New York City Research Library Terrorism - Ratio of Ratio of Ratio of Ratio of Islamic + Islamic - Islamic+ Islamic + Terrorism - Islamic+ Islamic- Terrorism Islamic Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism Terrorism/ Islamic/ Terrorism/ Terrorism/ Materials Materials Materials Materials Materials* Terrorism Terrorism Islamic Islamic Population and Subject Search tables from the 2006 study for the state of North Carolina can be found in Appendix E.

15 15 ANALYSIS Analysis of Population Data The two figures below represent the highest level of education achieved for the population over the age of 25 in the counties represented for the 2000 United States Census. Figure 2.A: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in New York Counties Kings Queens Suffolk Nassau Erie Westchester Monroe Onondaga Coop. A Coop. B Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Coop. F Percent of Population Over 25 Coop. G New York Counties - Coop. A is NYC, Bronx, Statin Island High School or Equivaent Associate Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate/Professional Degree Figure 2.B: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in Minnesota Counties Percent of Population Over Hennepin Ramsey Dakota Anoka Washington St. Louis Olmsted Scott Coop. A Coop. B Minnesota Counties Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Blue Earth Freeborn Steele High School or Equivaent Associate Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate/Professional Degree

16 16 All of the New York counties had a high school diploma as the highest level of education. Westchester County and Cooperative A had a large percentage of their population with a bachelors or graduate degree. Westchester is an affluent county just outside of New York City. Cooperative A includes New York (Manhattan Island), Bronx and Richmond County (Staten Island). Bronx County is a very poor county with one of the largest minority populations in the United States (E-podunk). Including its population in with the cooperative greatly distorts the education level of New York County which is the island of Manhattan. Part of this study was to determine if there are any anomalies within New York City versus the state of New York. The figure below represents the education level of the population of New York County or Manhattan Island. This shows an entirely different picture with New York County having a much higher percentage of population with a bachelors or graduate degree than any other county in New York, Minnesota or North Carolina (Figure 2 for North Carolina can be found in Appendix E) Figure 2.C: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in New York County (Manhattan Island) 25.0 Percent of Population Over New York County High School or Equivaent Associate Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate/Professional Degree While most of Minnesota s population has a high school diploma as their highest level of education, Hennepin and Dakota County had a higher percentage of population with a bachelors degree. Both of these counties include the Minneapolis St. Paul metro area along with the University of Minnesota (Hennepin). They both have a higher than average median household income, especially Dakota County. Ramsey County also has a high percentage of people with a bachelors or graduate degree and is also part of the Minneapolis St. Paul metro area (E-podunk).

17 17 Analysis of Subject Search Data Islam vs. Terrorism Figure 3A: Results of Subject - Sampled New York State Counties in March % Terrorism Materials Islamic Materials 3% 47% Islamic + Terroism Materials Islamic - Terrorism Materials 26% Figure 3B: Results of Subject Search - Sampled Minnesota Counties in March % 3% Terrorism Materials 18% Islamic Materials 66% Islamic + Terroism Materials Islamic - Terrorism Materials The charts above for New York and Minnesota show that there is a higher percentage of terrorism material than Islamic material in both states. However, there is even a larger percentage of terrorism materials in Minnesota than New York State and a larger percentage of Islamic not terrorism material in New York State. Looking at the state of North Carolina below, we see that the results are similar to Minnesota. Figure 3C: Results of Subject Search - Sampled North Carolina Counties in Oct % 3% Terrorism Materials Islamic Materials 20% 60% Islamic + Terrorism Materials Islamic - Terrorism Materials

18 18 Percent of Total Figure 3D: Results of Subject Search for the states of New York, Minnesota and North Carolina 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Islamic-Terrorism Islamic + Terrorism Islamic Material Terrorism Material 0% New York Minnesota North Carolina Clearly, there is a difference between the subject searches in New York State and Minnesota and North Carolina. The chart below is a comparison of the highest level of education in each state. New York has the highest percentage of population with a graduate degree, but North Carolina has a slightly higher percentage of population with a bachelors or graduate degree. However, the educational differences do not seem significant enough to cause the large differences in the collection data. Figure 4: Highest Educational Achievement of the Population over 25 in New York, Minnesota and North Carolina 100% 90% Percent of Population Over 25 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% New York Minnesota North Carolina New York, Minnesota and North Carolina County Totals High School or Equivaent Associate Degree Bachelors Degree Graduate/Professional Degree

19 19 The other factor examined was the percent of population that identified themselves as Arab descendants. While the 2006 study did not identify this as a factor, it was looking at counties within only the state of North Carolina where the Arab population is relatively small. The chart below represents the percent of Arab population in the three states. Figure 5: Percent of Total Population of Arab Decent in the states of New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Percent of Total Population New York Minnesota North Carolina New York, Minnesota and North Carolina County Totals This chart shows that there are more than twice as many people of Arab descent in New York as either Minnesota or North Carolina. It could very well explain why the data shows a larger percent of material on Islam and Islam not Terrorism in New York State libraries over the other two states.

20 20 Kings County (Brooklyn), New York has almost twice the percent of Arab population as any other county in the three states, 1.4%, and twice the percent of Arab population as the entire state of New York. If we look at this one county alone, we can see that there does seem to be a correlation between Arab population and the collections of Kings County Library. Therefore, one could surmise that this collection represents the larger Arab population that is more interested in reading material on Islam and Islam apart from terrorism as opposed to material on terrorism. Suffolk County, New York has the lowest percent of Arab population (0.3%) represented by the county or regional libraries in the state of New York. This percent is consistent with the states of Minnesota and North Carolina. The subject search for this county is also consistent with Minnesota and North Carolina state totals. This data supports the conclusion that the percent of Arab population is a factor in the collections of libraries within the subject of Islam and terrorism. Figure 6: of Subject Search for the states of New York, Minnesota and North Carolina and the New York Counties of Kings County and Suffolk County 100% 90% Percent of Total 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% Islamic-Terrorism Islamic + Terrorism Islamic Material Terrorism Material 0% New York Minnesota North Carolina Kings County, NY Suffolk County, NY

21 21 Analysis of Subject Search Data Terrorism Material It is important to look at the balance of material within the terrorism collection. If people are looking for information about terrorism it is important that the material not be Islam and terrorism. There should be a variety of material available about all terrorist organizations so that library patrons do not read that all terrorists are Muslim or Islamic. As discussed in the 2006 study, this could be more harmful than an unbalanced collection of Islam and terrorism material especially since figures 3.A - 3.D show there is a high demand for terrorism material. The material the patrons find in the terrorism section will influence their knowledge and opinion on terrorists. The figures below show that there is a good balance in the terrorism sections of the New York and Minnesota libraries. There is a very small percentage of material on Islamic and terrorism as compared to a very large percentage of material on terrorism apart from Islam. Figure 7A: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials in the Collections for New York Counties Ratio Kings Queens Suffolk Nassau Erie Westchester Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/ Terrorism Monroe Onondaga New York Counties - Coop. A is NYC, Bronx, Statin Island Coop. A Coop. B Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Coop. F Ration of Terrorism - Islamic/ Terrorism Coop. G Figure 7B: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials in the Collections for New York Counties Ratio Hennepin Ramsey Dakota Anoka Washington St. Louis Olmsted Scott Coop. A Coop. B Minnesota Counties Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Blue Earth Freeborn Steele Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/ Terrorism Ration of Terrorism - Islamic/ Terrorism

22 22 The collections in North Carolina were similarly balanced. This chart shows that the three states have similar ratios and balance in their terrorism materials. Figure 7C: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials in the Collections for New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Counties New York Minnesota North Carolina New York, Minnesota, North Carolina County Totals Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/ Terrorism Ration of Terrorism - Islamic/ Terrorism

23 23 Analysis of Subject Search Data Islam Material As with the material on terrorism, it is important that there be a balance in the material on Islam. Library patrons should be able to access material on Islam apart from terrorism. It would not be good if all material on Islam mentioned terrorism. While the figures demonstrate a fairly good balance, it is not as distinct as the material on terrorism. In other words, there is generally more material on terrorism within the Islamic collection versus material on Islam in the terrorism collection. The terrorism collection is more balanced than the Islam collection. Similar results were found in North Carolina. As a result of this finding, libraries may need to examine their Islamic collection to determine if additional materials on Islam need to be added that do not concern terrorism. Figure 8A: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials in the Collections for New York Counties Ratio Kings Queens Suffolk Nassau Erie Westchester Monroe Onondaga Coop. A Coop. B Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Coop. F Coop. G New York Counties - Coop. A is NYC, Bronx, Statin Island Ratio of Islamic+ Terrorism/ Islamic Ratio of Islamic- Terrorism/ Islamic Figure 8B: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials in the Collections for Minnesota Counties Ratio Hennepin Ramsey Dakota Anoka Washington St. Louis Olmsted Scott Coop. A Coop. B Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Blue Earth Freeborn Steele Minnesota Counties Ratio of Islamic+ Terrorism/ Islamic Ratio of Islamic- Terrorism/ Islamic

24 24 Here we see that in New York libraries, there is a better balance in the Islam collection and Minnesota has a more unbalanced Islam collection. In New York there is less material on terrorism in the Islam collection and in Minnesota there is more material on terrorism within the Islam collection. Again, libraries need to examine their Islamic collection to determine if additional materials on Islam need to be added that do not concern terrorism. Figure 8C: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials in the Collections for New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Counties Ratio New York Minnesota North Carolina New York, Minnesota, North Carolina County Totals Ratio of Islamic+ Terrorism/ Islamic Ratio of Islamic- Terrorism/ Islamic

25 25 Analysis of Subject Search Data A Comparison of the Terrorism and Islam Collections The findings found in Figures 7 and 8 are further analyzed in Figures 9.A and 9.B below. These tables compare the subject of Islam and terrorism within both the Islam and Terrorism collections. This supports the previously identified results that there is more material on terrorism within the Islam collection than there is Islam in the terrorism collection. Similar results were found in North Carolina. This further supports the recommendation that libraries need to examine their Islamic collection to determine if additional materials on Islam need to be added that do not concern terrorism. Figure 9A: The Ratios that Shows a Comparison of the Materials that are Dedicated to Islam and Terrorism in both the Islam and Terrorism Collections for New York Counties Ratio Kings Queens Suffolk Nassau Erie Westchester Monroe Onondaga New York Counties - Coop. A is NYC, Bronx, Statin Island Ratio of Islamic+ Terrorism/ Islamic Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/ Terrorism Coop. A Coop. B Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Coop. F Coop. G Figure 9B: The Ratios that Shows a Comparison of the Materials that are Dedicated to Islam and Terrorism in both the Islam and Terrorism Collections for New York Counties Ratio Hennepin Ramsey Dakota Anoka Washington St. Louis Olmsted Scott Coop. A Coop. B Minnesota Counties Coop. C Coop. D Coop. E Blue Earth Freeborn Steele Ratio of Islamic+ Terrorism/ Islamic Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/ Terrorism

26 26 Again, the comparison of the three states support the conclusion that there is more material on terrorism within the Islam collection than there is Islam in the terrorism collection. This figure shows, again, that New York has a more balanced collection within each subject area and Minnesota s collection is less balanced. Figure 9C: The Ratios that Shows a Comparison of the Materials that are Dedicated to Islam and Terrorism in both the Islam and Terrorism Collections for New York, Minnesota and North Carolina Counties Ratio New York Minnesota North Carolina New York, Minnesota, North Carolina County Totals Ratio of Islamic+ Terrorism/ Islamic Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/ Terrorism

27 27 Analysis of New York City Manhattan Island One of the objectives of this study was to analyze New York City (Manhattan Island) to determine if there are any anomalies in New York City. New York County Library is divided into the Public Library and Research Library. All previous collection data dealt with the New York Public Library. Figure 10: Results of Subject Search New York City Research Library in March % Terrorism Materials Islamic Materials 44% Islamic + Terroism Materials Islamic - Terrorism Materials 45% 0% In the figure above we see there are far fewer materials on terrorism than there are on Islam and Islam not terrorism, unlike the findings in the county public libraries. The figure below is a comparison of the county libraries in New York State, the New York City Library and the New York Research Library. The NYC Public Library has few materials on terrorism than the combined county libraries and the Research Library has fewer still. The NYC Public Library has more material on Islam and Islam not terrorism while the NYC Research Library has even more. Figure 11.A: Results of Subject Search The county libraries in New York State, the New York Public Library and the New York City Research Library 100% 90% 80% Percent of Total 70% 60% 50% 40% Islamic-Terrorism Islamic + Terrorism Islamic Material Terrorism Material 30% 20% 10% 0% NY State NYC Public Library NYC Research Library

28 28 If we examine each of the collections in the New York City Research Library we find there is an extremely small amount of terrorism material in the Islam collection and an extremely small amount of Islam material in the terrorism collection. Since this is a research library, directed to patrons with a higher education performing scholarly research, these findings are not surprising. Figure 11B: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Islamic Materials Ratio New York City Research Library (Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/Islamic is.00 Ratio of Islamic+ Terrorism/ Islamic Ratio of Islamic- Terrorism/ Islamic Figure 11C: The Ratio Showing the Balance of the Terrorism Materials Ratio New York City Research Library (Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/Terrorism is Ratio of Islamic + Terrorism/ Terrorism Ration.01 of Terrorism - Islamic/ Terrorism The percent of Arab descendants in New York City (Manhattan Island) is 0.7%, the same as New York State and more than twice that of Minnesota or North Carolina. However, 49.4% of the population in New York City has a bachelors or graduate degree versus 28.4% in the state of New York. This may suggest that educational level, in addition to Arab descent, may be a factor in the collections. It may also suggest that New York, being in the middle of most of the recent terrorist activity, has seen and read enough. The people do not need to go to the library as much as the people of Minnesota, who are far removed from the activity, to learn about terrorism.

29 29 REASEARCH FLAWS Several flaws were identified in the 2006 research study and one suggestion was to review collections outside of North Carolina, which this research project addressed. This researcher concurs with the previously recognized defects and these will be summarized again so readers of this paper are aware of the recognized problems. The major issues include not taking into account [of] the age of the libraries collections, not examining which material is most circulated, replication of materials in the catalogs, and limiting the study to keyword searches of terrorism and Islam (LIS 2006 research project). Neither of these studies examined the age of the books within the subject collections of terrorism or Islam. We therefore do not know when the material was obtained or if the libraries increased their collection in either of these areas after September 11. There is literature that indicates the interest by Americans in these subject areas did increase but only one study was found that actually addressed this increase in library collections. The analysis did not look at the circulation records within the library. The collections in libraries which had more material on Islam and terrorism may be doing so because patrons are requesting these materials more. Thus the imbalance may be because of public demand. Material in the catalogs may be duplicated and so each entry may not be a separate entity. This researcher also found that material may be cataloged differently in different libraries and, on occasion, different search methods were needed. This was found in the use of subject keyword and subject browse and general keyword. In most instances subject keyword was used, but a few libraries did not have their material cataloged in a manner that this produced any results. Therefore, general keyword was most often used or subject browse. While the results seemed consistent to other libraries searched, there may have been some differences. The major flaw identified in the 2006 research was the focus on the subject keywords, terrorism and Islam. The reason for narrowing the terms was to avoid Westernization of Arabic terms. For example, the Islamic holy book, the Koran, is also translated at Quran and Qu ran. The word Muslim is often translated at Moslem. The previous researcher felt the most important semantic problem was the word terrorism. Terms such as fundamentalism and radicalism are often used with negative connotations. While this researcher agrees this may be a limitation, I believe the keywords terrorism and Islam sufficiently represent the issue being studied as to present a consistent picture.

30 30 While expanding the research to the libraries of New York and Minnesota the need for further expansion was identified. It is this researcher s suggestion that: Another state with a high Arab population should be studied to verify the influence of ethnicity on collections. Michigan, for example, has a 0.8% Arab population, the highest in the United States. The Arab population in New Jersey and Massachusetts is also higher than average. (factfinder.census.gov) Another Midwest state should be studied to verify the high number of materials on terrorism in areas that have not been directly impacted. Another look needs to be made on the influence that education level may have on the collections. Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts seem to have the highest percent of people with a bachelors or graduate degree. (factfinder.census.gov) Suggestions for future research identified in the 2006 study and verified in this study include: Compare actual increases in collections after September 11 in the areas of Islam and terrorism and Islam not terrorism. Review circulation records for materials in the subject areas to determine what the library patrons are actually reading. Determine if expanding the subject research terms, terrorism and Islam produce different results. Both of these studies were conducted in as scientific and practical manner as possible given the constraints of time and information availability. They were both conducted in the same manner using the same data sources to be able to make comparison and common conclusions.

31 31 CONCLUSION The conclusions of the 2006 study on this same subject were: Books on terrorism were available in high numbers in most libraries investigated. The high number of terrorism books existed regardless of population. Arab ancestry did not effect the amount of terrorist literature in any given collection. Smaller counties had more terrorist literature in their collections than more populous counties. The 2006 study concerned the state of North Carolina, a relatively rural state on the East Coast with a relatively homogeneous population. This study looked at two states with different characteristics than North Carolina. New York State is a more urban state in the center of recent terrorist activities, with a less homogeneous population. Minnesota is a rural state with a population concentrated in the urban areas more so than North Carolina, and it is in the Midwest, away from the East Coast. While some of the conclusions of the 2006 study were verified, some of the conclusions of this current study were slightly different due, most likely, to the differences in the states chosen. More terrorism materials were found in most of the counties studied, but considerably more were found in the Minnesota county libraries than in the New York libraries and just slightly more than in North Carolina. Likewise, there was significantly more material on Islam in New York and the percent of materials on Islam minus the percent on Islam not terrorism is only 2% in New York vs. 5% in Minnesota and 7% in North Carolina. The population data showed the state-wide education levels of the three states to be relatively equal. However, there was a significant difference in the percent of population with Arab ancestry in New York versus Minnesota and North Carolina. This study therefore concludes that the ancestry of the population does play a role in the collections of the libraries they serve. This was also demonstrated further by looking at one New York County that had over four times the percent of Arab population as North Carolina and Minnesota. The library representing this county had an even lower amount of material on terrorism and higher amount on Islam than the state of New York. The city of New York (Manhattan Island) also had fewer books on terrorism and more on Islam than the state of New York. However, the Arab population in the city is the same as New York State. The one significant factor with New York City is that the educational level is significantly higher than any other county reviewed. This relationship could not be validated in any other area so it is inconclusive whether this finding was because of education or the other characteristics of the population.