By now, all of us have heard the term fake news. It’s become another overused phrase, insidious in how it sticks like a bad smell. Yet its very stickiness is what makes it such a useful rhetoric device…. Read More ›
Intellectual Freedom
Banned Books Week: Censorship of Books and More
Banned Books Week will be observed September 23-29, 2018. The annual event focuses a spotlight on the never-ending attempts to censor books; however, other types of library resources are also challenged. The non-book censorship attempts may not get as much… Read More ›
Using AASL’s New LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for Professional Development
By Rachel Altobelli, Albuquerque Public Schools, and Sara Cook, Jefferson Middle School, New Mexico AASL’s new resource guide, “Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries“, is: a source for quick answers to difficult questions; a place to find advice… Read More ›
YA: To Label or Not to Label?
Last year a book was pulled from middle and high schools, after a parent of a 6th grader complained about the “vulgar” language within the book. The book, which is authentically relevant to the current climate of our country, a… Read More ›
Choose Privacy Every Day!
Annually the American Library Association (ALA) observes Choose Privacy Week from May 1-7. With increasing threats to personal and library user privacy, highlighting privacy once a year is insufficient. Recently the ALA rebranded its “Choose Privacy Week” website to “Choose… Read More ›
Let the Good Times Roll: Intellectual Freedom at the ALA Conference
For librarians, Intellectual freedom is a living concept, a core value reflected in the ALA Code of Ethics, the Library Bill of Rights, the Freedom to Read Statement, and Libraries: An American Value. It is highlighted annually during Banned Books… Read More ›
Librarians, Youth Reading and Intellectual Freedom: Historical and Contemporary Views
Concern about children’s and teens’ reading has been with us for hundreds of years. Mobilizing concerns about youth reading in order to spur activists and citizens to action has a long and complex history in the United States. Much lip… Read More ›
The Marrakesh Treaty and Why It Is Important to Librarians
There’s new proposed national legislation for librarians to monitor and support. On March 15, 2018, the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate with bipartisan support. The proposed legislation will amend the U.S. Copyright Act 17, U.S.C…. Read More ›
Intellectual Freedom and Youth: Practical and Philosophical Considerations
When it comes to intellectual freedom, most people would agree that adults should have the right to read what pleases them. Many would also agree that teenagers need some freedom to explore their own reading tastes and choices. But what… Read More ›
Updating the Intellectual Freedom Manual
The Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) and the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) has started the process for revising the 9th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual published in 2015. Rationale for a New Edition Why is a revision needed? Several… Read More ›