Tag: intellectual freedom

The Iranian Protests Are a Reminder of the Need for Praise of Salman Rushdie

We in libraries can do nothing to ameliorate Mr. Rushdie’s physical pain. We can and should, however, proudly display and recommend his works. To support Mr. Rushdie and to celebrate his works is not to attack a religion.  It is only to excoriate, as we should, the mindless and soulless adherence to the wrong-headed, hateful, and evil interpretation of a religion promulgated by mere–and mistaken–men.

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Staff Authors, Banned and Challenged Books, Censorship

Banned Book Week Ideas for Rural Libraries

While book banning is a growing trend nationwide, the majority of successful book bans happening right now seem to be occurring in rural areas (both fringe and remote rural) as well as some suburban areas. The initiatives and toolkits presently available for all librarians are great, but they are created by urban LIS professionals and best-suited for urban and suburban audiences. The current rhetoric used in these one-size-fits-all toolkits may not be effective in rural areas. 

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Staff Banned Books Week, Rural and Tribal Libraries
ALA Annual Conference 2021 logo.

Explore Intellectual Freedom in these #ALAAC21 Sessions!

The ALA Annual Conference offers numerous opportunities to explore and celebrate intellectual freedom. This post highlights fourteen intellectual freedom-themed conference sessions, including live panel discussions and on-demand sessions, the Intellectual Freedom Awards Celebration, and business meetings. As you plan your #ALAAC21 calendar, consider adding these sessions to your schedule!

Sarah Hartman-Caverly Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE), Intellectual Freedom Committee, Intellectual Freedom Round Table, Midwinter Meeting/Annual Conference, Office for Intellectual Freedom, Professional Development, Professional Ethics
Archibald MacLeish portrait

An Invitation to Danger: Perspectives on Intellectual Freedom and Information War

The first task of information warfare is to recognize when you’re in one, because you might not be fighting the information war, but the information war is fighting you. This essay revisits the wartime writing of Archibald MacLeish, poet-warrior, playwright-propagandist, and Librarian of Congress from 1939 through 1944. It explores whether we’re experiencing an information war now, and how the library community can respond.

Sarah Hartman-Caverly Advocacy, Censorship, General Interest, Professional Ethics
Image credit: Maytham Al-Zayer / The Daily Northwestern under Fair Use. Caption / alt text: Flexing the First Amendment with the ‘free speech ball’ provided by Young Americans for Liberty at Northwestern University.

Academe, Heal Thyself: Reflections on the Free Speech Executive Order Discussion at ACRL

By: guest contributor Sarah Hartman-Caverly – The true threats to intellectual freedom on college and university campuses cannot be solved by outside intervention – most especially not by state intervention. In this post, Hartman-Caverly extends criticism of the recent Executive Order on free inquiry by challenging its emphasis on learner data tracking, and questions whether intellectual freedom can meaningfully exist without intellectual privacy.

Kristin Pekoll First Amendment, Intellectual Freedom Issues, Privacy