Intellectual Freedom and Privacy News You Can Use

Intellectual freedom and privacy have been core values of librarians for decades. Although the principles remain strong, challenges to intellectual freedom and privacy in schools continue to evolve. Fortunately, there are resources to combat the threats to the right to read, view, and listen as well as to protect the privacy of library users. To provide the latest information, I communicated directly with the individuals who are on the front lines of national intellectual freedom and privacy issues.

New Edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual

Martin Garnar, dean of the Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, is the editor for the forthcoming tenth edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) of the American Library Association (ALA). The Manual is one of the top sources of intellectual freedom guidance for librarians in all types of libraries. Updated on a regular basis, the next edition will be about ten percent larger to accommodate new and updated policies as well as essays by intellectual freedom advocates. Before a new manual is published, every ALA intellectual freedom and privacy-related document is reviewed by the ALA's Intellectual Freedom Committee and revised as needed. Then the documents are sent to ALA's Council, its policy making body. In preparation for the Manual's next edition, the council approved changes to fifteen ALA policy statements with three of special interest to school librarians:

• "Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." This interpretation confirms the minors have the legal right under the First Amendment to receive information in libraries not only in print but also via social media, online applications, games, and programming (ALA Access 2019).
• "Minors and Online Activity: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." As part of the substantial revision of this interpretation, minors' First Amendment of free expression online and their right to privacy are heavily emphasized (ALA Minors 2019).
• "Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." One of its major revisions was the incorporation of a concept from a retired AASL position statement emphasizing that the library profession acknowledges that minors have the same right of privacy as adult library users (ALA Privacy 2019).

Because more non-book challenges are occurring nationwide, the next Intellectual Freedom Manual will contain advice on combating censorship beyond books. Editor Martin Garnar says, "For school libraries, these challenges could take the form of concerns about recommended reading lists, library displays, and complaints about inappropriate content in databases" (Martin Garnar, email to author, December 9, 2019).

Consider purchasing this resource because the Manual is a comprehensive collection of all ALA intellectual freedom and privacy policy statements in one place. It also includes "interpretative essays that explain how ALA policies and intellectual freedom principles apply to school libraries, and [the essays] are not available online" (Martin Garnar, email to author, December 9, 2019). The anticipated publication date is summer 2020.

Challenges to New Types of Library Resources

There have always been challenges to library print resources, but complaints are expanding. According to Kristin Pekoll, assistant director for OIF, in 2018, 483 books were challenged, but there were also complaints about displays, online resources, and programs such as author visits and drag queen story hours (Kristin Pekoll, email to author, November 24, 2019). Kristin encourages school librarians to report challenges to OIF using the online reporting form, by phone (800-545-2433, extension 4226) or via email (oif@ala.org). Having information about censorship attempts helps OIF staff determine national trends and potential new threats to access to library resources.

Kristin and other OIF staff are ready to support school librarians facing censorship in any format. Kristin is aware that listening is essential. "I often provide my cell number to librarians if they need to talk [about challenges] beyond office hours. As I've learned from my own experience, having a person who understands and sympathizes listen to me cry, vent, rage, and despair without judgment and keeps that conversation completely confidential is invaluable" (Kristin Pekoll, email to author, November 24, 2019).

Beyond providing a sympathetic ear, Kristin listed the types of challenge support available, "We tailor our support to the needs of the librarians and the situation. Before a committee convenes, we can help gather research and reviews to defend the material. If a librarian is meeting with an administrator, parent, board, or press, we can help craft talking points with specific audience in mind. Sometimes a librarian needs to write a response letter to a parent, we can help provide samples or review drafts. Sometimes a more public show of support is needed. OIF staff will often write a letter of support to an administrator or school board defending the resource, supporting the library professionals involved, and advocating for the rights of students to read and access information. We are also available for interview or comment to local media if the situation becomes public. Beyond challenge support, we also help school districts update their selection and reconsideration policies" (Kristin Pekoll, email to author, November 24, 2019).

Focus on Privacy

Because of continuing data breaches and diminishing privacy for minors in schools, ALA is focusing greater attention on protecting library users' privacy. In 2016, the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee approved "Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools." The guidelines lay out rationale for minors' library privacy, describe the need for a library privacy policy, explain why privacy audits are necessary, and suggest cautions about data sharing (ALA Library Privacy Guidelines 2016). The guidelines also include online references to other privacy resources for school librarians.

The ALA Library Bill of Rights had not been changed since 1980; but in January 2019, Article VII was added. Focused on privacy, it emphasizes that every individual has" a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use" (ALA Library Bill of Rights). Article VII also lists the responsibilities of librarians in the area of privacy: advocacy, education, and protection of users' privacy and confidentiality of their library use records (ALA Library Bill of Rights). In 2019 members of the ALA Privacy Subcommittee substantially updated the "Privacy and Confidentiality Q&A" including Section IV "Minors Privacy Rights" (questions 28-31). Section IV now includes concrete steps for school librarians to take to protect their students' library privacy.

In 2019, ALA retired Choose Privacy Week. In its place, ALA is promoting a "Choose Privacy Every Day" theme and has renamed its privacy advocacy website." Erin Berman, chair of the ALA Privacy Subcommittee explained the change, "Privacy isn't a topic that we can only talk about once a year. Libraries are one of the last places anyone can go without having their every move tracked and monitored" (Erin Berman, email to author, December 20, 2019). She suggests, "When working with students, find ways to integrate privacy topics into regular conversations. Talk to them about using strong passwords, ensure they understand what happens to the information they post on social media sites, and how to adjust their settings across apps and websites" (Erin Berman, email to author, December 20, 2019).

Early in 2019, the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom, the Alameda County Library (Oakland, CA), and the Data and Society Research Institute received an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant to create "Privacy Advocacy Guides." The primary goal of the print and web-based guides is to help all types of librarians become privacy advocates for their library users (IMLS 2019). The first three "guides are on the topics of data life cycles, privacy audits, and educating and training staff about privacy; and they will be tested by librarians (including school librarians) from February through April. Additional guides will be created, including one specifically addressing school library privacy issues. Up to six guides will be available for distribution at the ALA Conference in Chicago in June 2019 (Erin Berman, email to author, December 20, 2019).

Internet Filtering—An Unsolved Issue

The twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) will occur in 2020. CIPA required the filtering of all computers in schools and libraries receiving specific types of federal funding, and the level of filtering in some districts continues to hamper access to constitutionally protected speech for students and teachers. In 2014, ALA released its well-researched policy brief "Fencing Out Knowledge: Impacts of the Children's Internet Protection Act 10 Years Later." The report outlined the deficiencies of filters, their effects on students' access to full and balanced information sources, and steps to be undertaken by the library community. However, there has been little substantive action beyond creating another interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. In 2015 ALA's Council approved a strong policy statement: "Internet Filtering: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." Although it provides powerful rationale for adjusting filtering levels in a K-12 environment, overly restrictive filtering still occurs in many schools. Because of ALA's current organizational restructuring, it is unlikely that a new advocacy campaign against filtering will be undertaken. At this time, the best solution for school librarians appears to be educating local administrators and IT staff about the negative impacts of heavy-handed filtering on students' use of the Internet and working with them to create less restrictive filtering policies.

What Can School Librarians Do to Protect Students' Intellectual Freedom and Privacy?

There are three actions school librarians can take to protect students' First Amendment right to read and receive information and their right to privacy and confidentiality when using their school library.

• Be knowledgeable about the intellectual freedom and privacy landscape. Subscribe to the "Intellectual Freedom News," a free weekly round-up of current book challenges as well as articles on privacy, censorship, and Internet filtering. Use this information to talk with students, teachers, students, and administrators about the importance of students' free access to information.
• Visit the "Choose Privacy Every Day " website to read the weekly compilation of privacy news and use the site's resources, especially those found under the "Resources/Students & Minors" tab.
• Educate students about library censorship attempts by observing Banned Books Week (BBW) held annually the final week in September. For 2020, the BBW will be observed from September 27-October 3, and many free resources are available at the BBW website. The Intellectual Freedom Blog also provides ideas for civic engagement and First Amendment programming throughout the year (Eleanor Diaz, email to author, December 9, 2019).

Works Cited

"Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." American Library Association. Last modified June 25. 2019. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/minors.

Institute of Museum and Library Services. "National Leadership Grants for Libraries." 2019. https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/lg-36-19-0073-19.

Library Bill of Rights. American Library Association. Last modified January 2019. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/intfreedom/librarybill/lbor.pdf/.

"Minors and Online Activity: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." American Library Association. Last modified June 24, 2019. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/minorsonlineactivity.

"Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." American Library Association. Last modified June 24, 2019. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/privacy.

Web Resources

Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors interpretation — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/minors

Banned Books website — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned

Children's Internet Protection Act — https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act

Choose Privacy Every Day — https://chooseprivacyeveryday.org/

Fencing Out Knowledge — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/FINALCIPA_Report_V4_8%205x11PAGES%20%282%29.pdf

Filtering: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/internet-filtering

Intellectual Freedom Blog — https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/

Intellectual Freedom News — https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?cat=393

Library Bill of Rights — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/intfreedom/librarybill/lbor.pdf

Library Privacy Guidelines for Students in K-12 Schools — https://chooseprivacyeveryday.org/resources/guidelines-checklists-for-libraries/library-privacy-guidelines-for-students-in-k-12-schools/

Minors and Online Activity interpretation — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/minorsonlineactivity

OIF censorship online reporting form — http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/report

OIF Challenge Support website — http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport

Privacy and Confidentiality Q&A — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/privacyconfidentialityqa

Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights — http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/privacy