Intellectual Freedom and Privacy
Course
Program Considerations [5:16]
- Learn to promote access and avoid self-censorship through your book displays.
- Learn ways to ensure balanced viewpoints when hosting guest speakers.
- Learn how to support students quest for knowledge during instruction.
The vast majority of school libraries put books on display. Some reasons to put books on display are for a monthly observance, holiday, or an instructional focus in your school. However, consider whether you are selecting the topics and books in these displays that are less controversial. Deliberately not including books or topics on a display that some in your school community find sensitive is a form of censorship. Consider changing the displays from year to year, recognizing that most students remain in the same school, and thus using the same library, from one year to the next. For example, consider including LGBT figures on a display of Black History or Women's History books. You may also consider creating a display about Mental Health Awareness Month in May instead of National Inventors Month. Ensuring that your displays cover multiple topics, including those that are controversial, will help protect you and your library against self-censorship and promote access.
Most libraries host guest speakers in the library space or assist in coordinating guest speaker visits. This too can be an area of librarianship that needs protecting of intellectual freedom. For example, if a political figure, such as a Republican senator or congressman comes to your school, consider extending an invitation to another figure who is a democrat. This ensures that students have access to balanced viewpoints. Also, author visits can be subject to censorship, especially those who include sensitive topics in their writing, such as drug addiction or a same-sex couple. If you help host a career day in your library, be sure to review the list of careers and people invited to ensure they have been approved to present by your principal or district. Consider those careers that are not represented and ensure that they are not excluded due to organizers' preferences. In all of these cases, the librarian should be instrumental in making sure the parents and students receive notice of guests and a choice to opt out of their presentation, if desired.
Opportunities for promoting intellectual freedom may also arise when working with students during instruction. For example, students in middle and high school may be assigned a project to research a topic of their choice. In this case, students may choose to research a topic that is controversial or sensitive in nature, such as pregnancy, drugs, or gun violence. It is the librarian's job to treat these students' topics as any other topics, and assist them in finding the most applicable resources for their research. At the elementary level, including books with sensitive topics during story time helps promote intellectual freedom, including different family types or life experiences. Finally, at all levels, consider including books with sensitive or controversial elements into book talks, speed dating to preview books, and other book-related activities. It is important for librarians to support students in their quest for knowledge as well as help them better see and understand the world around them.
Intellectual freedom is woven through a typical day and year in every school library. Students come to the library to research, check out books, and participate in events. Some opportunities to promote intellectual freedom in your space include the content of your displays, the people you invite into your school, and how you help students learn and grow. Above all, consider that a librarian's job is to ensure all students and staff feel welcome and see themselves reflected in the library, especially the ones who may have life experience that includes sensitive or controversial topics.
Many librarians consider censorship to be focused primarily on books. While this is true, librarians can also exercise self-censorship in programming, displays, and other aspects of the library. Use the resources below to reflect on other potential avenues of censorship.
Messner, Kate. "A Blog Post I Never Thought I'd Be Writing on Book Release Day." Kate Messner (blog). Entry posted June 7, 2016. http://www.katemessner.com/a-blog-post-i-never-thought-id-be-writing-on-book-release-day/.
Price, Sallyann. "Censorship Beyond Books." American Libraries. Last modified September 24, 2019. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/09/24/censorship-beyond-books/.
Explore the two articles in the resources section. Consider any instances that you or a teacher may have unintentionally censored something in your library (a display, event, etc.). Then, using page 4 of the handout, reflect on how would you respond if activities like the ones mentioned in the articles occurred in your library or school?
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Intellectual Freedom and Privacy: Censorship in the School Library." School Library Connection, May 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262934?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2263777
Additional Resources
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. Program Considerations [5:16]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, May 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262934?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2262934?learningModuleId=2262052&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2262934