Intellectual Freedom and Privacy
Course
Collection Considerations [5:49]
- Learn how the First Amendment protects students' right to read freely.
- Learn the ways that the Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics protect and promote intellectual freedom.
- Learn how the Office of Intellectual Freedom works on state and federal levels on different topics.
All libraries should have a selection policy in place. Sometimes individual libraries write their selection policies, while in other areas, larger districts write one selection policy to guide all school libraries. Selection policies are essential to providing students and staff access to all types of resources, a pillar of intellectual freedom. They help librarians when there are questions about whether a resource is appropriate to purchase. A good selection policy includes information on who is responsible for selecting the materials in your library, the role of the school library in supporting intellectual freedom, procedures that will be followed in selecting resources, including non-print materials, and a section on controversial and challenged materials, including a reconsideration process. For more information about how to write a selection policy, locate the Selections Policy Toolkit in the Resources section.
Once you have used your selection policy to purchase fantastic resources for your library, be sure to keep your collection updated. Just as libraries offer a varied fiction collection that includes fantasy and mystery books, for example, so also must librarians curate a collection that represents current events and controversial or sensitive topics appropriate for the age group they serve. Examples of these topics might include sexuality, religion, politics, and illegal substances. A balanced collection allows users to access multiple perspectives on a topic, whether it is through print or digital resources, in fiction or nonfiction. To analyze your collection, consider performing a diversity audit of your fiction titles. You might also want to choose a few topics in nonfiction to determine whether your shelves reflect a balance of perspectives. Then, utilize your selection policy to purchase additional resources to fill any gaps you notice and weed when necessary.
As you maintain a high-quality collection, ensure that all students can access all resources. In an effort to protect student privacy and promote intellectual freedom, consider refraining from restricting access in any way. Best practices suggest that books in a school library should not be labeled by Lexile or other reading level. Readers should be allowed to access all materials in a collection, regardless of their reading ability or interest. You may wish to designate with a generic sticker sensitive or controversial topics that are of interest to your community, such as the LGBT books. Refrain from giving these books their own section, however. This may signal the reading interests of some students and would not safeguard the reader's privacy. Finally, consider adding books with controversial or sensitive elements to relevant displays. This promotes a more inclusive library that offers books equally on a variety of topics.
As librarians, it is our charge to offer access to a variety of perspectives on topics, including those that are controversial or sensitive. Students have the first amendment right to freedom of speech, which equates to the freedom to read freely. Just as we would defend books being challenged by others, we cannot allow ourselves to restrict what we purchase based on our own bias or opinion. It is also imperative that we not allow our fears of books being challenged dictate what we purchase for our collection. This is where a strong selection policy is important, because only the selection policy should guide what is purchased and maintained for students and staff.
The print and digital resources we curate in our library collections should allow all users to read and learn freely. This means they should have access to what they are learning in class as well as what they are interested in. This also means that when students and staff want to learn or read about sensitive or controversial topics, we should to make those resources available, regardless of our own personal beliefs and biases. With a good selection policy by our side that guides our decisions, we have an obligation to provide both digital and print collections that will encourage our school community to think, learn, and grow.
There are several items to include in a strong collection policy. Fortunately, many tools are available to help in creating and maintaining a solid document for your library. Utilize the resources below to learn more about selection policies and reflect on the ideas below.
American Library Association. "Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, & Academic Libraries." December 8, 2016. http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit.
Identify reasons why libraries need a selection policy. After reviewing the resources, use page 3 of the handout to craft a selection policy for your library or review the selection policy you already have. What items in these resources can enhance your library's promotion of intellectual freedom?
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Intellectual Freedom and Privacy: Creating and Revisiting Your Selection Policy." School Library Connection, May 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262931?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2263188
Additional Resources
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. Collection Considerations [5:49]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, May 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262931?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262931?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2262931