Intellectual Freedom and Library Standards

Intellectual Freedom and Library Standards

A few years back my youngest child (age 6) came home with a book from the school library about parts of the body. The outside of the book looked just like any other student friendly picture book. We took it out to read at bedtime and I was shocked. It had colorful engaging pictures and told the story of how babies were made. As a parent I not only took the time to read the story with my child, but to also explain to her she was not to share it with anyone in her class or talk about it to other students. I felt it was not her place to introduce other six year olds to that type of material. The book was geared to her age and was written for her to understand the topic, but I was still concerned as to why it was in my child’s library for her to check out. At the time I informed the librarian and principal about the book and they agreed to take it off the shelf of the library and give it to the parent advocate as a parent resource for parents to use as needed.

After reading, 65 Years and Counting AASL and school librarians — Still champions of intellectual freedom, I wish the school librarian would have just educated the principal and I of the rights other students missed because of the decision to remove the book from the library. I now understand the importance of the roll of the librarian to speak up about resources in the school library. What if another student needed that book to do research about a project for class and it was the best one on their level but now it is no longer there. According to the American Association of School Libraries (AASL), “The school library serves as a context in which the school librarian ensures that the school community is aware of the guidelines for safe, ethical, and legal use of information” (2018), all of which the book was.

There will always be challenges to the Library resources but Defending Intellectual Freedom LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries LGBTQ+Resource Guide_FINAL guides school librarians with the AASL Standards Integrated Framework to give them the foundation to drive their knowledge to support any questions that may come their way. It is our job to know how to advocate for our students and what is best for them. According to both the National School Library and ISTE Standards we must demonstrate safe, legal, and ethical creating and sharing of knowledge products independently while engaging in a community of practice and an interconnected world.

Works Citied
Adams, H. R. (2016). 65 years and counting AASL and school librarians — Still champions of intellectual freedom. Knowledge Quest, 45(1), 34-41.

American Association of School Libraries (AASL).2018a. National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries. Chicago: ALA Editions.
      
"Toolkits", American Library Association, September 27, 2006.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/tools/toolkits (Accessed September 1, 2018)

Document ID: 0376b036-bc67-aa14-093c-0d320bfa84fc


LGBTQ+Resource Guide_FINAL



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