Author: Kristin Pekoll
The Censorship War in Loudoun County
By: guest contributor Richard Price. Loudoun County Public Schools took an important first step towards inclusive support of all students with its diverse classroom libraries initiative. We can only hope that it will not bend to the forces of intolerance. Schools and libraries have a public duty to depict the world as it actual is and not as some people wish it were.
Upcoming eCourses offer in-depth instruction on the First Amendment and Privacy Law
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is continuing its partnership with ALA Publishing to offer two exciting eCourses early next year.
‘Prince and Knight’ Challenge in Upshur County, WV
ALA responds, “In particular, the public library has a responsibility to represent a broad range of materials in its collection and to meet the needs of everyone in the community it serves – not just the most vocal, the most powerful, or even the majority.”
Scientific Censorship: Not Merely a Problem of Yesterday
By: Guest Contributor Augustus Wachbrit. Great literature and social scientific research overlap in that they often concern topics of interpersonal, political, or societal importance; when either were to be lost, human dignity surely suffers. Being vocally opposed to the censorship of the arts or the sciences is a necessity these days—one of the reasons why Banned Books Week is a fantastic initiative.
Alex Gino Shares What it’s Like to Author the #1 Most Banned Book
By: guest contributor Alex Gino. “Censorship of my writing is both so upsetting and unsurprising that it can be hard to talk about.”
“Keep the Light On” with these Helpful Tools
There are a lot of great tools, resources, and ideas available to celebrate Banned Books Week but I’m going to highlight my three favorite.
Searching for Intellectual Freedom Bloggers 2020
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is seeking bloggers for 2020! Here’s what our writers have said about the experience.
When the Censors go to Court
By Guest Contributor Richard Price – On 2 May 2019, a group led by a Watchung Hills High School student and his father sued the school (and various administrators and educators). The student asserted that he “suffered damages as a result of being required to read Fun Home including emotional, psychological and other damages.”
Lynda’s Privacy Problem
By: guest contributor Samantha Lee – LyndaLibrary, soon to be LinkedIn Learning, is planning a platform update that would require library patrons to create LinkedIn accounts to access the resources, rightly prompting privacy concerns amongst Connecticut librarians. By calling attention to the privacy concerns on Lynda/LinkedIn, librarians can help to create a safer environment for patrons and their privacy.
Intellectual Freedom & Privacy Events in our Nation’s Capitol
So many great intellectual freedom and privacy events during ALA Annual Conference in Washington D.C. You won’t want to miss a single minute.