As library people, our code of ethics pushes us to strongly respect and defend the intellectual freedom of the communities we serve. You can see this commitment across the American Library Association, including at the Office of Intellectual Freedom.
CMLE Headquarters likewise is passionate about this topic, so we are passing on some news from the ALA. We are copying their material here this month so you can see what is going on right now; but you can always go to their site yourself and get familiar with the issues facing us across the profession. You do not need to be an ALA member – this is for all of us in libraries to know and to share.
We are the guardians of free access to information for our communities; it’s not a responsibility to take lightly. Let’s all get familiar with these topics, so we are ready before problems come to our library!
Scroll down to the bottom (or read all the way through!), and consider signing up for the training offered in January: How to Respond to a Security Incident in Your Library.
Intellectual Freedom Highlights
- Virginia Library Association concerns about proposed amendment to 8VAC-131-270; “The Virginia Library Association, representing more than 1,000 members from academic, public, special and school libraries across the Commonwealth, is a leading advocate for intellectual freedom, including the freedom to read as a basic tenet. We write to express our reservations about a proposed amendment to 8VAC-131-270, which will require public schools to ‘include a notice to parents identifying any sexually explicit materials that may be included in the course, the textbook, or any supplemental instructional materials.’ We believe the proposed requirement is nearly identical to the requirements contained in HB 516, which was vetoed by Governor Terry McAuliffe in the spring. Aside from the First Amendment concerns this proposed amendment raises, we also believe it threatens the quality of education for students across the Commonwealth. We strongly encourage the Department to reject the adoption of this proposed regulation.”
- A deep conversation about binary thinking | Reading While White (blog); “I like having conversations that dig deep into ways in which books are problematic and ways in which they are empowering. I learn so much from these conversations. And when I read criticism or critique of something I love (even something I love as much as Hamilton!)—it actually doesn’t ruin it for me. It makes me grateful that I have the chance to learn something new.”
- Get ready to fight for what matters | Insider Higher Ed; “This is not the time for appeasement. If we truly believe in our values, if they’re more than feel-good slogans, we must commit ourselves to fighting for them.”
Censorship
Expletive symbols in assigned book infuriate Henderson elementary school parents | KTNV News (NV; Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel)- After book controversy, state proposes new rules | Chesterfield Observer; “Following the conclusion of the Chesterfield County Public Schools’ summer reading list controversy in September, the Virginia Department of Education is considering a regulation change that would alter how all schools handle sexually explicit materials.
The state Board of Education heard about the amendment to its Regulations Governing Local School Boards and School Divisions during its business meeting last week. If approved, the proposal would require every school to provide a notice to parents and legal guardians at the start of each school year identifying any sexually explicit materials that would be used in the classroom.” (VA; “Beloved” bill) - ACLU-VA joins free speech groups to oppose new effort to label books “sexually explicit” in Virginia schools | ACLU of Virginia
- NCAC criticizes WA daycare program’s ban on books with “frightening images” | NCAC blog
- Dubuque group to decide if book is appropriate for classroom use | KWWL News 7 (IA; Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky)
Access
- Virtual library cards expand access to learning | Detroit News
- Arlington Heights library board moves toward compromise on transparency with policy tweak | Chicago Tribune
Privacy
- Protecting your digital life in 7 easy steps | New York Times
- School surveillance: The consequences for equity and privacy | National Association of State Boards of Education
- US lawmakers introduce bill to delay enhanced government hacking powers | PC World
- How “right to be forgotten” puts privacy and free speech on a collision course | The Conversation
- Brazil superior court rules in Google’s favor, against “right to be forgotten” | Global Voices
- Global application of French “right to be forgotten” law would pose threat to free expression | CDT (Center for Democracy & Technology)
- The price of privacy: four problems with anonymous giving—and a case for reform | Inside Philanthropy
- Great. Now even your headphones can spy on you | Wired
- Privacy experts say your phone number is as sensitive as your SSN | CBS Miami
Net Neutrality
- Trump hires two net neutrality opponents to oversee FCC transition | Ars Technica
- AT&T defends DirecTV’s data cap exemption in net neutrality case | Ars Technica
Hate Speech & Libraries
- Evanston public library books about Islam defaced with swastikas, racial slurs | Chicagoist (blog)
- Statement on hate graffiti on library property from city librarian Vickery Bowles | The Province (British Columbia)
First Amendment Issues
- Top journalists warn of threats to press freedom under Trump | CNN Money
- Trump supporter in state Senate says some protests are “economic terrorism,” should be felonies | Seattle Times
- Daily Reminder: Equal media time mandate violates first amendment | Constitutional Law Prof Blog
Around the Web
- The top censored stories of 2015–2016 | Project Censored
- Being watched | Inside Higher Ed
- NCAC’s top 16 free speech defenders (& offenders) in 2016 | NCAC blog
- State says literacy not a right in Detroit | Detroit News
- New report shows the reach of online harassment, digital abuse, and cyberstalking | Data & Society; “A new report from the Data & Society Research Institute and the Center for Innovative Public Health Research offers the most comprehensive picture to date of Americans’ experiences with online harassment and abuse. While most online Americans have witnessed online harassment, and almost half have personally experienced it, young people, women, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) Americans are more likely to experience online harassment and more likely to self-censor online postings over concerns about attracting harassment.” Report
- Children’s laureates demand UK government investigate school library closures | The Guardian (UK)
- Zunar to again challenge Malaysia’s sedition act | Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
- Freedom of information, not masturbation | Montana Kaimin
- Stop! Why the mis-definition of student equity needs to end | eSchoolNews
Office for Intellectual Freedom
- Intellectual freedom nominations for the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award due Dec. 1
- Give the gift of intellectual freedom on #GivingTuesday
ALA News
Read the Intellectual Freedom Blog
Intellectual Freedom Webinars
one of the coolest organizational departments in the world has one of the worst (and most ironic) websites.
coolest organizational department in the world (or close enough) is the office of intellectual freedom. the web address should and could be oif.ala.org. its actually oif.ala.org/oif — otherwise you get this message:
Forbidden
You don’t have permission to access / on this server.
ok, thats pretty funny. but trust me, someone can fix this. also PLEASE add some to the site. theres no reason you shouldnt be able to read the oif site in a browser that doesnt support js– even if it has less content.
that said, i cant think of anything cooler than an “office of intellectual freedom.” i always salute the ala, and i always point to the ala as an example of what issues all libraries should be paying more attention to– all the more reason the oif website should work without specifying or linking to the /oif folder in the url. believe it or not, people still type in addresses without other paths. they should get to the oif website if it has a subdomain, not a “forbidden” message, of all things.