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The Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association

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Author: Kelly Bilz

Two cartoon hands reaching out from each side of the picture, one with an ereader and the other with a stack of money

Providing eBooks For All

The #eBooksForAll initiative can be applied to other issues of access: eBooks in prison and accessibility.

January 14, 2020February 13, 2021 Kelly Bilz Access, Social Justice, Technology
Two Passports stacked on top of open American passport.

USCIS Announces Proposed Fee Increases

USCIS has announced proposed fee hikes which will affect public access to genealogical records.

January 2, 2020January 2, 2020 Kelly Bilz Government Information, Information Access
Logo saying Share your censorship story with image of a flame

Share Your Censorship Story

OIF’s end-of-year initiative encourages you to share your censorship story! Information from challenge reports helps spread awareness and support libraries across the nation.

December 19, 2019December 19, 2019 Kelly Bilz Censorship, Challenge Reporting
“Horizontal strand of DNA double helix”

So Your Second Cousin is a Criminal, and Other DNA Privacy Concerns

DNA from direct-to-consumer kits can help you find your ancestors–and potentially help law enforcement find you. See how genetic data raises privacy concerns even as it restores justice.

November 20, 2019November 12, 2019 Kelly Bilz Legislation, Policies, Privacy
Microphone in front of a blurred audience and stage light by Pierre Rosa from Pixabay

Intellectual Freedom? Don’t Make Me Laugh: Censorship and Comedy

Many comedians have commented on performing for “politically correct” college campuses, but when does correctness become censorship?

November 19, 2019November 11, 2019 Kelly Bilz Academic Freedom, Censorship, First Amendment
In the upper-left corner, there is an open laptop with a pamphlet on top of the keyboard next to a line of books. In front, there is a notepad with several pencils and an eraser, and next to it is an open textbook with an Apple iTouch resting on top of the left-hand page.

Ethics of Analysis: Learning Analytics and Academic Libraries

Many academic institutions–and their libraries–are using learning analytics to improve their services and reach out to students who need help, but when does data collection cross the line and become surveillance?

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 Kelly Bilz Academic Freedom, Professional Ethics, Surveillance
Paper with WiFi signal being held in front of a landscape

Intellectual Freedom Fighters, Part 5: Rural Internet Access Groups

The final installment in the Intellectual Freedom Fighters Series looks at different projects to bring internet access to rural communities.

September 19, 2019September 16, 2019 Kelly Bilz Access, Computers, Technology
“Movie poster for Yesterday, of Himesh Patel carrying a guitar in a crosswalk”

‘Yesterday’ as an Open Access Movie

What does a movie about Beatles music have to do with the Open Access movement? According to this blogger, everything! (Spoilers within.)

July 18, 2019July 15, 2019 Kelly Bilz General Interest, Information Access
Author Juno Dawson resting her head in her hand

Happy Birthday, Juno Dawson!

Juno Dawson, renowned author of 17 books and columnist, celebrates her birthday on July 10.

July 10, 2019July 5, 2019 Kelly Bilz Authors, Banned and Challenged Books, LGBTQIA+
A stack of print newspapers with one sticking out that says “World Business”

Intellectual Freedom Fighters, Part 4: Reporters Without Borders

In the fourth installment in the Intellectual Freedom Fighters Series, see how Reporters Without Borders protects freedom of the press and how journalism overlaps with library science.

June 18, 2019June 14, 2019 Kelly Bilz Censorship, First Amendment, News Literacy

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Participation on this site is regulated by ALA’s Online Code of Conduct, available at https://www.ala.org/online-code-of-conduct.

The Intellectual Freedom Blog’s purpose is to educate and encourage discussions about intellectual freedom principles and promote the value of libraries, librarians, and professional membership in the American Library Association (ALA). The blog is managed and edited by staff of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) to raise awareness of time-sensitive news, issues in the field, upcoming events, helpful resources, and the work of members.

Our writers represent a broad range of types of libraries, backgrounds, viewpoints and passions. Publication by the Intellectual Freedom Blog does not constitute an endorsement of the content or represent the official position of OIF or ALA. Content will align with ALA policy or will be clearly stated otherwise. All writers are required to consent to the policy and purpose of the Intellectual Freedom Blog.

Lively commentary and reactions to posts are welcome but are moderated by OIF staff. Comments should be relevant to the specific post to which they refer. OIF reserves the right to remove, or not to publish, comments unrelated to the topic of the post or purpose of the blog. Spam, flaming, personal attacks, and off-topic comments are not permitted.

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