Author: Deborah Caldwell-Stone
E-Course on the First Amendment and Library Services Begins September 12
The First Amendment and Library Services, brought to you by Theresa Chmara, ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions, and the Office for Intellectual Freedom, will introduce you to the legal principles behind the First Amendment, their practical implications in daily life, and how those principles affect library work.
Fight Censorship: Keeping PRIDE Books on Display
The Office for Intellectual Freedom has received multiple reports over the last two days about individuals checking out all the books from a library’s PRIDE Month display to prevent other readers viewing or reading the books. This censorship tactic is being promoted by a fringe Catholic political advocacy group, CatholicVote.
New Issue of the ‘Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy’ Now Available
The article by Young, Walker, Swauger, Gibeault, Mannheimer, and Clark describes participatory ways to think about and design privacy-oriented library services. The cover image is a representation of privacy education and engagement drawn by a participant in the project described by Young et al.
Let Students Learn: Our Response to the Removal of Classic Novels from Mat-Su School Curriculum
When school boards deny students the ability to read and engage with literature that depicts the range of human experience on the vague grounds of “controversy,” they diminish their students’ educational experience and disparage the constitutional values of free thought.
Auditing the First Amendment at Your Public Library
A growing number of public libraries are reporting that individuals are visiting their buildings to film and photograph library staff and library users, on the grounds that libraries are “public spaces.” Here’s what the law says.
eLearning Platforms for Libraries
Libraries want to provide high quality, affordable, safe learning platforms, but that can be challenging. With lots of choices and often confusing terms of service agreements, libraries are asking themselves, “What should we buy?”
New E-Course on the First Amendment and Library Services Begins March 4
The First Amendment and Library Services, brought to you by Theresa Chmara, ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions, and the Office for Intellectual Freedom, will introduce you to the legal principles behind the First Amendment, their practical implications in daily life, and how those principles affect library work.
Utah Education Network Reinstates Access to EBSCO Database for Students Across Utah
By: guest contributor Wanda Huffaker. Utah librarians and their allies successfully campaigned to overturn a decision by the Utah Education Network (UEN) to block access to EBSCO K12 databases for more than 650,000 elementary and high school students in Utah.
Anyone Can Sue: Legal Intimidation as a Censorship Tool
It is axiomatic that anyone can sue, over any issue. To file a lawsuit is as simple as drafting a document that purports to allege facts that support a claim for legal relief, paying a fee, and filing the document with a court.
Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Library, and The New York Public Library Join Forces for New Digital Privacy Initiative
New York City’s three library systems and the Metropolitan New York Library Council (METRO) are hard at work on a new initiative to bring resources covering digital privacy and data security to the City’s frontline public library staff.