ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is continuing its partnership with ALA Publishing to offer two exciting intellectual freedom eCourses early next year. We’d like to invite you to register for either or both of the upcoming courses:

The First Amendment and Library Services with Theresa Chmara

Begins Monday, January 6, 2020

Librarians and library staff are aware that the free and equitable provision of information is an important part of the library’s mission. The First Amendment protects the right to speak, publish, read, and view materials in the library, but courts have recognized that libraries also must have reasonable rules in place for patron use of the library, consistent with the library’s mission to provide access to library materials and services to the entire library community.

This course, brought to you in collaboration with the Office for Intellectual Freedom, will introduce you to the legal principles behind the First Amendment, their practical implications in daily life, and how those principles affect library work. You will learn basic legal concepts, your rights as library employees, the rights of library patrons, and what the First Amendment does and does not obligate the library to provide.

Register Directly at https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/first-amendment-and-library-services-ecourse.

Privacy, Libraries, Patrons, and the Law with Deborah Caldwell-Stone

Begins Monday, February 3, 2020

The right to intellectual privacy—the right to read, consider, and develop ideas and beliefs free from observation or unwanted surveillance by the government or others—is the bedrock foundation for intellectual freedom. It is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association.

In this eCourse, brought to you in collaboration with the Office for Intellectual Freedom, we will provide you with clarity and order on what can be a complex topic. You’ll learn about the legal framework for upholding your patrons’ right to privacy when it comes to both physical and digital sources of information. You’ll understand how federal, state and international data regulations apply—or don’t apply—to the library, how contract negotiations can be a tool for protecting patron privacy, and how you can comply with the law while upholding your patrons’ rights.

Register Directly at https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/privacy-libraries-patrons-and-law-ecourse

If you have questions or are interested in bulk pricing, please contact ALA directly at elsmarketing@ala.org.