Category: Access
Libraries and Journalism: Dispelling Disinformation and Advancing Democracy With Diligent Fact-Finding
Librarians and journalists tackle the same challenges and it’s no surprise that the two fields have found natural allies in one another. Both institutions champion the notion of equity in access and intellectual freedoms within their respective mandates. And collaboration is key when one falls short of their charge to serve the community.
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.
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.
Intellectual Freedom Fighters, Part 3: Books to Prison Organizations
In light of recent controversy around bans on prison book donations, prison libraries and books to prison organizations are recognized as fighters for intellectual freedom.
Intellectual Freedom Fighters, Part 1: Reclaim the Records
Reclaim the Records pressures reluctant repositories with personality in order to make public records freely available online.
New Jersey parents upset at reduced access to books
Parents in Mahwah, NJ are expressing distress that the school district has, in their view, reduced student access to books in the school libraries.
The Fine Line: Ethical and Intellectual-Freedom Implications of Charging Our Patrons
Is it unethical to charge library fines? The current landscape in public and other libraries shows that there’s no one way to handle it, but trends are moving in favor of patrons.
The Tor e-book embargo and reluctant readers
With the major success of science fiction and fantasy films based on novels recently including The Hunger Games (not published by Tor) and Ender’s Game (published by Tor), I have long thought that science fiction and fantasy was a great “gate way” genre for reluctant teen readers in particular. Therefore, as a librarian and a buyer of Tor’s books myself I would add my voice to those asking Tor and Macmillan to reconsider this embargo.
Is literacy a right? My internal conflict
A federal district court ruling earlier this month which held that there is no clearly established constitutional right to literacy in the United States has reminded me that the various pieces of my background are sometimes in conflict with one another.
Intellectual Freedom in Situational Contexts
People need information at all points in their lives, something librarians have a keen understanding of. But my professional role as a librarian in facilitating the intellectual freedom in situational circumstances such as domestic violence was not an immediate and obvious connection.