Category: Intellectual Freedom Issues
Why I am Keeping Seuss Books
By: guest contributor Carole Soden; “I fully understand why some libraries feel more comfortable not using Dr. Seuss books but I feel there is also another approach.”
To Exhibit or Not to Exhibit? Privacy Concerns and Library Exhibits
These exhibits are yet another reminder that so much of our private lives are now very public in a way that they were not a few decades ago.
Schenck v. United States, 100 years later
Sometimes the voices we most need to hear are voices that the government would rather silence.
The Citizenship Question & the 2020 Census
The citizenship question on the 2020 census is an intellectual freedom issue that affects the accuracy of government data and impacts the historic record.
A Censor Sits in a Library
By: guest contributor Emily M. Schneider, Ph.D. – I am not writing to defend Gantos and McKean’s novel. I empathize with those critics who have expressed fears that it will only stoke the fires of xenophobia and normalize suspicion of Muslims, and that children may find in the book an excuse to bully their peers who seem to conform to the exaggerated images in the book. But, like Fitzgerald, I can also hold opposing ideas, specifically, fears of censorship, and the idea that allowing a book to be published does not imply endorsement of its message.
Support Freedom for Student Journalists
The critical work of journalists in a democratic society requires protecting freedom of expression. A free press cannot flourish where writers fear censorship or retaliation. How did you celebrate #StudentPressFreedom on Wednesday, January 30?
Actions Shutting Down Information and Freedom – Interior’s Attack on FOIA
The Freedom of Information Act, an invaluable tool for democracy, is under attack. New Interior Department regulations are targeting those who use it the most–journalists, academics, researchers and more. Furthermore, the shutdown is compounding the issue and allowing the possibly-illegal and definitely-unethical change to happen unnoticed.
Integrating Libraries and Books
The Jim Crow south not only meant separate drinking fountains and restrooms. It also meant separate libraries and books. Laws and local policies also placed restrictions on what could be disseminated and published. Dr. King–as well as those who worked to build libraries and ensure that they be free to use–operated within this system and sought to get rid of this system.
Meet the 2019 Intellectual Freedom Bloggers!
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is pleased to introduce ten new bloggers in addition to five strong voices who continue to share thought provoking original content about a core value of the librarian profession.
2018 Behind, 2019 Ahead
What just happened? A look back at some of the biggest intellectual-freedom news of 2018…and a look forward to those on the horizon in 2019.