Intellectual Freedom 101
Presented by MLA Intellectual Freedom Committee
at Park High School Livingston, Montana
November 18, 2010
Has this ever happened at your school?
• A parent complains that a teacher has been showing videos in your
high school biology classroom that are biased toward
environmentalists.
• A book on World War II is challenged in your elementary school
collection because of “disturbing images.”
• A parent objects to four books, including The Guy Book by Mavis
Jukes, in your middle school library because they are too “sexually
explicit.”
• Fellow faculty members in your high school object to a teacher
lending Sexy by Joyce Carol Oates to a student from a classroom
collection.
• A mother is seeking the removal of Horse by Juliet Clutton-Brock
from your elementary school library because she contends the book
promotes evolution.
• The principal at your high school orders a popular magazine
removed from the library because it “glorifies violence, illicit sex
and illegal drug use.”
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First Amendment of the Bill of Rights
of the U. S. Constitution
“Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the
people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances. “
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Intellectual Freedom
• Freedom of Speech
• The right to receive information
• The right to seek and receive information
without scrutiny
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Notable First Amendment Cases
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/firstamendment/courtcases/courtcases.cfm
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Decisions - The Right to Read Freely
• Board of Education, Island Trees School
District v. Pico (New York 1982) U.S. Supreme
Court
• Case v. Unified School District no. 23 (Kansas
1995) District Court
• Counts v. Cederville School District (Arkansas
2003) District Court
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ALA Intellectual Freedom Documents
• Library Bill of Rights (1939)
• Freedom to Read Statement (1953)
• Code of Ethics of the American Library
Association (1997)
• Library Bill of Rights (LBOR) Interpretations
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Library Bill of Rights
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/index.cfm
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Freedom to Read Statement
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/ftrstatement/freedomreadstatement.cfm
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Code of Ethics of the American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/proethics/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm
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Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/default.cfm
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Interpretations include…
• Access to Resources and Services in the School
Library Media Program
• Free Access to Libraries for Minors
• Access for Children and Young Adults to Nonprint
Materials
• Minors and Internet Interactivity
• Importance of Education to Intellectual Freedom
• …and more
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MCA Title 20 Chapter 7
School Instruction and Special Programs
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca_toc/20_7.htm
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Montana Standards for Information Literacy/Library
Media
http://www.opi.mt.gov/PDF/Standards/09IL_LMContentStandards.pdf
“All Montana students require equitable access to a
variety of resources, encompassing the breadth of
human conversations and creations for academic
achievement and personal growth. By learning to
access and evaluate information they gain an
appreciation and respect for diverse ideas and creative
expressions…Library media specialists, in collaboration
with other classroom and content area teachers,
empower all students to become information literate.”
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Information Literacy/Library Media Content
Standard 5
http://www.opi.mt.gov/PDF/Standards/09IL_LMContentStandards.pdf
“School Libraries provide equitable access to literature
and information resources that contribute to the
development of lifelong learners. Central to learning is
a respect and appreciation for the many voices and
cultures in our world, including Montana American
Indians. Students deserve the opportunity to explore
creative expression, engage in independent learning,
and read for personal enjoyment as well as fulfill
academic tasks.”
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Role of librarians …
Librarians
have not
always been
champions
of free
speech
Some rights reserved Creative Commons License Lin Pernille ♥ Photography
ALA President Arthur E. Bostwick said
in his 1908 inaugural address:
“Some are born great; some achieve greatness;
some have greatness thrust upon them.” It is in
this way that the librarian has become the
censor of literature … Books that directly
commend what is wrong, that teach how to sin
and how pleasant sin is, sometimes with and
sometimes without the added sauce of
impropriety, are increasingly popular, tempting
the author to imitate them, the publishers to
produce, the bookseller to exploit. Thank
heaven they do not tempt the librarian.”
ALA Censorship Timeline
1933 - ALA Executive Board declined to take action
regarding book burning in Germany
1939 - first ALA Library Bill of Rights
1940 - ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee formed
1950’s–70’s - amendments to Library Bill of Rights
dealing with political issues, social views, and
challenged materials.
1967 - ALA establishes the Office for Intellectual
Freedom (Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom)
1969 - Freedom to Read Foundation founded
1982 - ALA starts Banned Books Week
(same year as Board of Education v. Pico)
Today ...
Intellectual Freedom
one of seven “key action
areas”
for ALA
What are we talking about?
• Top 10 Banned Books of 2009
A brief history …
Books have been challenged since day one:
387 B.C. Plato suggested that Homer’s works should be
expurgated for immature readers
250 B. C. China’s ruler wanted to consolidate power so
burned books relating to the teachings of Confucius
35 A. D. Caligula tried to suppress The Odyssey because it
expressed Greek ideals of freedom
1885 First of many challenges to Mark Twain’s Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn
Number of challenges in schools growing
Types of censorship …
Traditional censorship
Proactive censorship
Abridgement and adaption
Self-censorship
Why challenges?
Sexual
grounds …
Political grounds . …
Religious grounds …
Social
grounds …
Challenges
in Montana
Quiz
Internet access issues
1902
A “storm of
controversy”
1918
Sedition!
1985
“By making
these books
available, [the
schools] are
teaching
profanity and
immorality.”
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1989, 1994
“…violence and
ghosts … are
inappropriate …
1996
Inappropriate for
some age groups?
2002
“…many of the
articles are
contrary to the
curriculum…”
2006
Interest in the
book increased
after the
challenge
1999, 2000, 2007
“...it’s sad for the young
people of Laurel. They won’t
get to learn more about the
Indian culture.”
Challenges in Montana continue:
2008 Helena Public Schools
World War II by Ivor Matanle
2009 Big Sky High School/Missoula
Bad Folks by Jon Jackson
Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
2010
?
“The irony of book-banning attempts is that the
publicity often causes people to read the books for
the wrong reasons. If a book is controversial,
perhaps the best place for it is in the classroom,
where, under the guidance of a teacher, the book
can be discussed and evaluated, where each student
will be free to proclaim how he or she feels about
the book and, if fact, can even refuse to read the
book. The point is that free choice must be involved.
Robert Cormier
from Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read
Be Prepared for Censorship Challenges
• Understand the philosophy and principles of
intellectual freedom
• Know your school district policies
• Be informed about Montana Office of Public
Instruction Content Standards
• Provide rationales for all acquisitions
• Provide/attend trainings on intellectual
freedom and challenge management
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Create, Review and Revise
Policies & Procedures
http://mlaif.pbworks.com/w/page/31851844/Policies-Relating-to-Intellectual-Freedom
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Reconsideration
Procedures
Sample
Flowchart
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When a Challenge Occurs
• Differentiate between informal and formal
complaints
• Provide the educational rationales for the
material in question
• Explain district procedures for reconsideration
• Provide the necessary forms, if available
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If the Challenge reaches the public
hearing stage…
• Employ a neutral facilitator to manage the
proceedings
• Let people have their say
• Be prepared to deal with the press
• Remember that the ultimate decision about
retention of items rests with the District
Superintendent (MCA 20-7-204)
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Resources
ALA School Library Media Centers and Intellectual Freedom
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/iftoolkits/ifmanual/
fifthedition/schoollibrary.cfm
Intellectual Freedom - American Association of School Librarians
Essential Links
http://aasl.ala.org/essentiallinks/index.php?title=Intellectual_Fr
eedom
National Coalition against Censorship http://ncac.org/
National Council of Teachers of English Anti-Censorship Center
http://www.ncte.org/action/anti-censorship
MLA Intellectual Freedom Committee Wiki
http://mlaif.pbworks.com
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MLA Intellectual Freedom Committee
http://mlaif.pbworks.com/w/page/7835453/For-School-Library-Media-Specialists
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Questions?
Lauren McMullen lmcmullen@mtlib.org
Sheila Bonnand sheila.bonnand@montana.edu
Lisa Sukut lisa@livingstonpubliclibrary.org
Now, let’s practice
with case studies and scenarios!
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