November/December 2007
Overview of Intellectual Freedom Articles
School librarians defend intellectual freedom, and they also have to support intellectual property. The following articles offer stimulating reflection and discussion for a complex issue.
A good place to start is Dresang’s reviews of current challenges and legal actions. She traces changing perceptions of the library’s role, and suggests the impact of radical-change theory.
Dresang, Eliza. (2006). Intellectual freedom and libraries: Complexity and change in the twenty-first-century digital environment. Library Quarterly, 76(2), 169-102.
Does a political agenda underlie some of the efforts to curb free and unfettered access to information? In examining several dimensions of this social issue in school libraries, Saykanic focuses the political implications. Sipley uses the PATRIOT Act as a touchstone for discussing the role of library media specialists in insuring that students are informed. Johnson asserts that filters negate the Internet’s full potential. YA author Avi provides a personal perspective on intellectual freedom, contending that the underfunding of libraries reflects a political agenda to limit student thought.
Saykanic, Donna. (2000). Censorship of library books in school library media centers today. 36 pp. (ED449804)
Sipley, Michele. (2003, Summer). Operation - PATRIOT Act: The role of school libraries in promoting a free and informed society. Progressive Librarian, 22, 52-61.
Johnson, Doug. (1998). Internet filters: Censorship by any other name? Emergency Librarian, 25(5), 11-13.
Avi. (1994). I can read, I can read! Horn Book Magazine, 70(2), 166-169.
Intellectual freedom is also a management issue. Public librarian (and ALA President) Minudri explains the responsibility of the librarian’s commitment to young people vis-à-vis intellectual freedom, and points out the relationship among the state, parents, and children. Jones contends that censorship issues make the school library media specialist stronger and more responsible.
Minudri, Regina. (1979). Irresistible forces and immovable objects. School LibraryJournal, 26(4), 39-41.
Jones, Leigh Ann. (1996). Better libraries through censorship. School Library Journal, 42(10), 54.
Just how important is intellectual freedom in schools? In studying teachers’ perception about elementary school book selection and intellectual freedom, Cerra found that while teachers read reviews and bought books, they would alter objectionable text or avoid acquiring “risky” books. Vandergrift questions the amount of privacy that students actually have in schools, mentioning class assignments that require self-exposure (e.g., journaling, reference interviews, examination of circulation records).
Cerra, Kathie. (1991). Teachers' attitudes about intellectual freedom and books in the elementary school. 17 pp. (ED362893)
Vandergrift, Kay. (1991). Privacy, schooling, and minors. School Library Journal, 37(1), 26-30.
Particularly since schools serve in a loco parentis role, media centers receive more book challenges and legal cases than other types of libraries. Peltz details the most famous Supreme Court case about library book censorship: the Board of Education vs. Pico 1982, which stated that a book could not be removed just because someone did not like the contents. Mosley’s review examines earlier legal cases against U. S. school libraries; particular interest is the use of AV equipment. Readers should also note how Mosley demonstrates the impact of school boards over the years.
Peltz., Richard. (2005). Pieces of Pico: Saving intellectual freedom in the public school library. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, 2, 103-158.
Mosley Jr., Madison. (1981). The school library in court. School Library Journal, 28(2), 96-99.
Specific books seem to be magnets for intellectual freedom controversy. Stanek discusses Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has weathered over a hundred years of challenges and bans. DeMitchell and Carney review the Harry Potter series, which has the distinction of being the most challenged book of the 21 st century. The issues that these books inspire allow us to take a good look at the mentality of the parties involved, and reflect on the social norms of the day.
Stanek, Lou. (1985). Huck Finn: 100 years of durn fool problems. School Library Journal, 31(6), 19-22.
DeMitchell, Todd, & Carney, John. (2005). Harry Potter and the public school library. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(2), 159-165.
Another lightning rod for censorship is Sports Illustrated swimsuit (or lack of swimsuit) issue. Dickinson discusses some of the underlying factors that need to be considered when trying to decide how to handle this specific magazine. 2007 brought a new twist to the controversy as the publisher self-censored their distribution of the issue to libraries – without the library’s knowledge. This action suggests an additional dimension of intellectual freedom and its challenges.
Dickinson, Gail. (2006). The Question...What should I do with the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue? Knowledge Quest, 35(1), 44-45.
(2007). Sports Illustrated decides libraries don't need swimsuit issue. Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, 56(3), 87-88.
What is a library media specialist to do when challengers come banging on the doors? Whom does one call on? Mediavilla recounts the California Library Association’s battles against anti-Communist censorship, noting the impact of challenges on librarians. Gerhardt notes the beginning of the Intellectual Freedom Action Network of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. Wisconsin produced an extensive intellectual freedom handbook as a practice how-to for librarians who need to address intellectual freedom issues, which includes several templates and documents that can be easily adapted for local use. Hopkins details the importance of support as librarians have to contend with challenges, highlighting the usefulness of the Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Education.
Mediavilla, Cindy (1997). The war on books and ideas: The California Library Association and anti-Communist censorship in the 1940s and 1950s. Library Trends, 46(2), p331-347.
Gerhardt, Lillian. (1994). Ends vs. means. School Library Journal, 40(11), 4.
Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction. (1999). Dealing with selection and censorship: A handbook for Wisconsin schools and libraries. Madison , WI: Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction. (ED439717)
Hopkins, Dianne. (2003). The value of support during a library media challenge. Knowledge Quest, 31(4), 32-36.
Finally Samek and Barth provide good bibliographies related to intellectual freedom issues as they relate to school libraries. The 2007 issue (volume 26, number 2) of School Libraries in Canada updates the issue; although the legalities are Canadian, the underlying issues can apply to U. S. librarians.
Samek, Toni. (2004). Key intellectual freedom resources . School Libraries in Canada, 24(4),. http://www.cla.ca/casl/slic/
Barth, Jennifer. (1999). Censorship . Teacher Librarian, 26(5), 63-4+.
Dr. Lesley Farmer , Professor at California State University Long Beach, coordinates the Library Media Teacher program.. Dr. Farmer has worked as a teacher-librarian in K-12 school settings as well as in public, special and academic libraries. A frequent presenter and writer for the profession, Dr. Farmer’s research interests include information literacy, collaboration, and educational technology.
