Intellectual Freedom
Course
What is Intellectual Freedom? [8:15]
Intellectual freedom has its basis in the First Amendment of the US Constitution and has been interpreted by courts as including a minor's right to receive information.
The Supreme Court along with decisions from lower courts have created a framework ofminors' free speech rights in schools. There are three key court cases that helped define minors' rights in school libraries. It began with the well-known Supreme Court decision in the 1969 Tinker versus De Moines Independent Community School District case. Justice wrote, and you'll recognize this famous quote, "Students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate." Fast-forward to 1978 and the Right to Read Defense Committee versus the School Committee of the City of Chelsea. School committee just means school board. The case revolved around the school board removing a poetry anthology, male and female under 18 from the high school library, because it included a sexually explicit poem. In this case, another important principle was established. The court distinguished between a school board's control over resources in the curriculum and those in the school library. In other words, administrators in school boards have broad or more control over removal of curricular materials required in courses. They have narrow or less control when removing library resources intended for free inquiry by students.
Fast-forward again to 1982 and the case the Board of Education Island Trees, Union Free School District versus Pico. This is the only school library-related case to ever be heard by the Supreme Court. The student sued the school board after it removed nine books from the library including Slaughterhouse Five, Go Ask Alice, Black Boy and six other titles. Important principles related to minors' first rights and school library censorship came out of the Pico case. A plurality of justices of the Supreme Court recognized the minors' right to receive information. This is a very significant phrase and you'll hear it often in conjunction with minors' intellectual freedom. Justice Brennan wrote, "School boards may remove materials from a school library if they are pervasively vulgar and educationally unsuitable. School boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in them. School boards may not remove school library books if by their removal, the board seeks to define or determine what they deem to be the right positions in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion." These principles have been used and cited in other book removal cases.
Intellectual freedom is a core value for librarians, but it is unknown outside the library profession. School librarians receive instruction in intellectual freedom principles in their preparation classes and continue to add to their knowledge throughout their careers. In contrast, teachers and principals usually do not hear about intellectual freedom, nor is it likely that they will learn about First Amendment court decisions that have produced case law affirming minors' rights to receive information in a school library. If minors' rights are to be protected, we must educate our colleagues. School librarians are key defenders of students' intellectual freedom and advocate for minors' access to the library's print collection, digital resources, and the Internet.
What does intellectual freedom look like in a school library? Visualize this: the spirit of intellectual freedom is alive and well in a school library when students enjoy the right to read and borrow resources free from scrutiny by staff or inquisitive peers. Students can select books and other materials without constraints based on age, grade level, or reading level. Intellectual freedom is exhibited when students find materials and information representing diverse points of view.
The First Amendment right to receive information is acknowledged when they are not required to request materials on so-called controversial topics from behind the circulation desk or the librarian's office or to bring a note from a parent stating, "It is okay for the student to check out the material." The principle of free inquiry is demonstrated when students ask reference questions without being crossed-examined about why the information is needed. Intellectual freedom is present when they can search Internet sites for academic and personal reasons without encountering the over-blocking by district filters. Intellectual freedom is promoted when students use interactive websites and social media to complete assignments and share their creative expression with others. Finally, intellectual freedom and privacy are preserved when students trust that their library use and records are kept confidential by staff.
This is a picture all librarians strive for. The guiding principles of intellectual freedom are found in two ALA documents. First, the Library Bill of Rights offers special protection to minors using libraries when it affirms a person's right to use the library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. The Library Bill of Right currently has over 20 interpretations that expand its principles. Three new interpretations were added in 2015 on the topics of Internet filtering, labeling systems, and rating systems. The Code of Ethics can be used to clarify decision making, especially in situations that are complex or uncomfortable. For example, perhaps a principal is applying pressure to have a book removed from the library without using the district's reconsideration process. The Code of Ethics places responsibility on the shoulders of librarians stating in Article Two, "We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist efforts to censor library resources." School librarians rarely think of themselves as protectors of democracy, but in reality, they may be the only ones who advocate for keeping a book or magazine in the collection when a parent, administrator, or fellow staff member finds its ideas or images offensive.
Lesson 1 defines and discusses the meaning of intellectual freedom and key court cases related to school libraries. School librarians have the knowledge related to intellectual freedom that other teachers may not have learned. The librarian should work to inform teachers and other members of the school community about intellectual freedom. This lesson gives an overview of what intellectual freedom looks like in the school library.
From the ALA website, read the Library Bill of Rights and interpretations that are related to your school library. Bookmark or otherwise indicate which interpretations are most important to your school library situation.
ALA's Library Bill of Rights and interpretations related to school libraries
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations
MLA Citation
Collins, Karla. "Intellectual Freedom: The Library Bill of Rights." School Library Connection, November 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1980443?learningModuleId=1980440&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2136340
Additional Resources
About the Author
Helen R. Adams, MLS, is an online senior lecturer for Antioch University-Seattle in the areas of intellectual freedom, privacy, ethics, and copyright. A Wisconsin resident, she formerly worked as a school librarian and served as president of AASL. She is chair of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee and a member of the AASL Knowledge Quest Advisory Board. She authored Protecting Intellectual Freedom and Privacy in Your School Library (Libraries Unlimited 2013) and co-contributed a chapter on intellectual freedom to the second edition of The Many Faces of School Library Leadership (Libraries Unlimited 2017).
MLA Citation
Adams, Helen R. "Intellectual Freedom. What is Intellectual Freedom? [8:15]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, November 2015, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1980443?learningModuleId=1980440&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1980443?learningModuleId=1980440&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 1980443