Intellectual Freedom and Censorship
Required
Readings
- Bishop 13
- ALA Library Bill of Rights (IP p. 152)
- ALA Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media
Program: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (IP pp.
153-154)
Standards
- 4.1C Supports
intellectual
freedom
and privacy of users
Supplemental Readings (most salient and recent; others listed at bottom
- this is a highly discussed topic!)
- MAF's Bookmarks: censorship;
intellectual-freedom
- Lisa Adams' Censorship ppt in eLC/Resources: this is a decade
old now, but you would be surprised at how little has changed!
- Censorship Court Cases .doc in eLC 6340 Resources: a summary of
the major historical censorship court cases
- MAF's commentaries on Bishop: eLC 6340 Resources
Discussion Points
Preparations:
- Complete
reflection
exercise - for your eyes alone; helps clarify your personal
position
- We
may
discuss
current challenges in the news, so be on the lookout
for local cases.
We will
not solve this problem today (or ever). I want you to start
thinking
about the relevant issues, and begin to form a personal position.
I do not want to dictate this position for you, although I will
probably
be guilty of considerable bias. This topic is always current, hot, and
relevant in the SLM field.
In general, the terms
"conservative" and "liberal" here do not apply to politics, Democrats,
or Republicans. Instead, conservative refers to more likely to
control while liberal refers to more likely to tolerate.
- Readings:
What questions do you have?
Any disagreements? Onwards to application!
- What
did you think about the reflection
exercise?
- ALA
Code
of
Ethics, 1998 (reprinted in EL, p. 54-55):
- "We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist
all efforts to censor library resources."
- "We distinguish between our personal convictions and
professional duties ..."
- A placeholder for a
perspective from children's literature (BF)
- Landmark
case: Board of Education, Island
Trees (NY) Union Free School District 26 v. Pico (1982) (Covered in Court Cases
document mentioned above.) Quick
story:
1.
School
Board
removed 9 books because "anti-American, anti-Christian,
anti-Semitic,
filthy." 2. Internal committee had recommended retention. 3. 5 students
challenged removal, sued. 4. District Court supported BOE. 5. Appeal -
US Court of Appeals remanded for trial. 6. US Supreme Court: 5-4
reversal.
7. To avoid trial, BOE returned books.
- Optional
group activity: Case studies of Legal
Cases (18 examples)
- Groups (look for SLM censorship cases)
- Cases are summarized in "Censorship Court Cases" - eLC 6340
Resources.
- Summarize your case - feel free
to obtain
more info if necessary
- Explain the original challenge
(why
was the material objectionable?)
- Using the selection policies
represented
(you will want a copy of your own), point out the procedure
that
would have circumvented the problem OR design a fix
- Current Cases and Issues
- Selection Policy requires you to set forth your position on
intellectual freedom, which must be democratically derived (ratified by
the Media Committee). It can quote ALA verbatim (with reference),
or adapt parts of it, parts of other referenced intellectual freedom
statements, or be completely orginal. In any case, reasoning
should be clear.
- In your Selection Policy, you are also
expected
to set forth a proactive
procedure
for
the prevention of censorship and
self-censorship. Your procedure to respond to challenges
is part
of this. We also expect to see a deliberate approach to balancing
perspectives, use of professional selection tools, and incorporation of
committee advice into selection as strategies for combatting
self-censorship.
- Internet filtering is common in schools, and certainly a part
of this discussion. Your selection policy should include the rationale
behind whatever internet filtering system you use (if no more than:
it's
mandated by a funding source, such as E-Rate).
- MAF's take-aways:
- Know your own biases; consciously guard against making
professional decisions based on them.
- Balance protection of children against empowerment. (Tough to
do!)
- One parent's rightful control of their own children's
information access must not dictate every child's access.
- It is amazing to discover the topics that have been
censored. Any topic can be objectionable in someone's eyes.
People do have the right to
object, and not to be ridiculed for their conscientious objections.
- Where you encounter strong tendencies to censor, ask thoughtful
questions and try to dialog, rather than starting a crusade. Your
reconsideration procedure is your safety net in extreme situations.
- Read Fahrenheit 451
(Bradbury, 1967) and The Book Thief
(Zusak, 2006).
More Supplemental
Reading
- Dickinson, G. (2006). Tough choices: The question ...
what should I do with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue? Knowledge Quest, 35 (1), p. 44.
- Abilock, D. (2007). Four questions to ask yourself. Knowledge Quest 36 (2), 7-11.
- Adams, H.R. (2007). Intellectual freedom 101. Knowledge Quest 36 (2), 12-15.
- Kelsey, M. (2007). Are we lucky for
the First Amendment? A brief history of students' right to read. Knowledge Quest 36 (2), 26-29.
- Lamb, A. (2007). Intellectual freedom for youth:
Social technology and social networks. Knowledge Quest
36 (2), 38-45.
- Martin, A.M. (2007). Preparing for a challenge. Knowledge Quest 36 (2), 54-56.
- Foerstel, H.N. (2002). Banned in the USA: A reference guide to
book censorship in schools and public libraries. Westport, CN:
Greenwood. [ISBN 0-313-31166-8]
References
- Abilock, D. (2007). Four questions
to ask yourself. Knowledge Quest 36 (2), 7-11.
- Adams, H.R. (2007). Intellectual
freedom 101. Knowledge Quest 36 (2), 12-15.
- American Association of School
Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and
Technology. (1998). Information
power: Building partnerships for learning. Chicago: American
Library Association.
- Bishop,
K. (2007). The collection program in
schools: Concepts, practices,
and information scources (4th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries
Unlimited.
- Bradbury, R. (1967). Fahrenheit
451. New York: Simon
& Schuster.
- Dickinson, G. (2006). Tough choices: The question ... what
should
I do with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue? Knowledge Quest, 35 (1), p. 44.
- Foerstel, H.N. (2002). Banned
in
the
USA: A reference guide to
book censorship in schools and public libraries. Westport, CN:
Greenwood. [ISBN 0-313-31166-8]
- Kelsey, M. (2007). Are we lucky
for
the First Amendment? A brief history of students' right to read. Knowledge Quest 36 (2), 26-29.
- Lamb, A. (2007). Intellectual freedom for
youth:
Social technology and social networks. Knowledge Quest
36 (2), 38-45.
- Logo by CoolText
- Martin, A.M. (2007). Preparing for a
challenge. Knowledge
Quest 36 (2), 54-56.
- Morris,
B.J. (2004). Administering the
school library media
center (4th ed.). Westport,
CN: Libraries Unlimited. ISBN
1-59158-183-4.
- Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York: Knopf.
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