Skip to Main Content

School Library System: Intellectual Freedom

ALA and Intellectual Freedom

 

The Office for Intellectual Freedom was established in 1967 in order to implement the ALA policies concerning intellectual freedom in the Library Bill of Rights.

The ALA Library Bill of Rights was adopted June 19th, 1939 by the ALA Council. You can find the text of the Library Bill of Rights here: Library Bill of Rights

AASL Statement on Intellectual Freedom

The AASL Intellectual Freedom Committee created a brochure to describe why intellectual freedom is important in a school library program. It explains the difference between selection and censorship, what to do before a challenge occurs, where to obtain assistance during a challenge, why schools filter, and how it affects students intellectual freedom, and how the ALA Code of Ethics affects school librarians.

AASL Intellectual Freedom Brochure

 

SLSA Statement on Intellectual Freedom

 

Click the document below to enlarge the NY School Library Systems Association's Statement on Intellectual Freedom in School Libraries.

The School Library Systems Association (SLSA) is a voluntary organization made up of the school library systems in New York State. SLSA's mission is to strengthen, support and advocate for their members as they foster quality school library programs. They intend to achieve this mission by leading through innovation, collaboration, advocacy and education, ultimately impacting student achievement across the state.

Here's is a link to Sue Kowalski's FReadom to READ padlet. This is a collection of curated resources to support conversations, inquiries, complaints, and censorship attacks. This is collaborative, so you can share resources you might have that aren't included already.

NYLA Statement on Intellectual Freedom

 

The New York Library Association (NYLA) issued a position statement on the Defense of Intellectual Freedom in November of 2021.

 

Click the logo above to get to the statement on the NYLA website. The same statement list below. Click the image to enlarge it.

NYLA-SSL Statement on Intellectual Freedom

 

Click the document below to enlarge the New York Library Association's Section of School Librarians' (NYLA-SSL) Position on the Defense of Intellectual Freedom.