Teaching Intellectual Freedom

A Review of:
 Oltmann, S. M. (2019). Important Factors in Midwestern Public Librarians’ Views on Intellectual Freedom and Collection Development: Part 1. The Library Quarterly, 89(1), 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1086/700659
 Abstract
 Objective – The article sought to explore whether librarian attitudes regarding intellectual freedom conform to the stance of the American Library Association (ALA).
 Design – Electronic survey.
 Setting – Public libraries in the Midwestern United States.
 Subjects – Subjects were 645 collection development library professionals employed in public libraries.
 Methods – An electronic survey was distributed to public library directors in nine Midwestern states and was completed by the library professional primarily responsible for collection development. The survey focused on community information and probed the participants for their stances on several intellectual freedom topics. 
 Main Results – The survey was sent to 3,018 participants via each state’s librarian and had a response rate of 21.37%. The first section of the survey focused on broad strokes statements representing the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom for public libraries. The results revealed widespread agreement on these issues. More than 88% of participants agreed with statements like “public libraries should provide their clients with access to information from a variety of sources.” Despite strong agreement among participants, particular demographic characteristics were more likely to lead to disagreement with all statements including working in rural communities and not holding a master’s degree in library science.
 The next section of the survey focused on how strongly participants’ personal beliefs conformed to the intellectual freedom statements in the ALA’s Library Code of Ethics. Again, there was widespread agreement, with 94.9% of participants indicating that they agreed with the statement “we uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library materials.” Only one participant disagreed with the statement “it is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction.” When asked whether the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom ever conflicted with their personal beliefs, 39.8% of participants indicated that it did, 22% were unsure, and 40% had never experienced conflict. Participants holding a master's degree in library science and librarians in large cities were less likely to experience conflict between their personal beliefs and the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom. In the free text comments, several participants indicated that they experienced conflict when the ALA’s stance did not reflect their personal beliefs or community values.
 Conclusion – While the overwhelming majority of respondents indicated that they agreed with the ALA’s stance on intellectual freedom, a minority of participants experienced some conflict. Respondents indicated that personal belief could create conflict when librarians committed to intellectual freedom were required to make choices in their professional work that conflicted with their own views. Conflict could also arise when collection choices made to support intellectual freedom were not supported by patrons in the community.

w He ^ re write this article in early October 2008, coincidentally same time that American Library Association (ALA) has, since 1982, designated a Banned Books Week. This is a time, says ALA, to remind Americans not to take [a] precious democratic freedom for granted?the freedom of unrestricted access to and regardless of communication medium used, content of work, and viewpoints of both author and receiver of information (ALA, 2008, 1, 3). The ALA's expressed intent for Banned Books Week is to draw attention to First Amendment rights but also to the power of literature...and...to danger that exists when restraints are imposed on availability of in a free society (ALA, 2008, 5). Censorship occurs when published or shared works, like books, films, or art work, are kept from public access by restriction or removal from librar ies, museums, or other public venues. Though challenges or outright censor ship in our school libraries or classrooms often transpire out of noblest of reasons?most often with idea of protecting young people from some thing that someone finds offensive?the ALA sees attempts at censorship, nonetheless, as attempts to restrict someone's right to read, view, listen to, and disseminate constitutionally protected ideas (ALA, 2007, Who Attempts Censorship? section). We find such censorship of reading or viewing of mate rials in middle and high school classrooms disturbing and unjust to rights of both students and teachers.

About Our Authors

Pat Scales has been a passionate advocate for intellectual freedom long before she launched the “Scales on Censorship” column with School Library Journal in 2006. Decades of experience as a school librarian informs her ongoing work on these important and often volatile issues, as did her tenure in leadership roles on the American Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee and at the Freedom To Read Foundation. It also earned her a place among the inaugural list of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers in 2002. Since her first column for SLJ she has been in an ongoing conversation of sorts with librarians, teachers, and parents—a much needed conversation. This collection of the wide-ranging questions from readers and Scales’ informative answers are gathered in broad thematic groups to help readers explore the all-too daily reality of confronting efforts to censor, ban, or otherwise limit open and ready access to materials in our schools and libraries. They were all written in response to active book challenges or questions of intellectual freedom and library ethics. These columns have a ripped from the headlines immediacy even as they reflect the core values and policies of librarianship. They are organized by topic and each is framed with a brief new introductory essay. Scales’ powerful reputation and practical ethically-based solutions has made her a key spokesperson and support for librarians working under a censorship siege. Her passionate, unwavering voice provides valuable strategic and tactical approaches to censorship, fine-tuned insight into individual books often challenged, and critical moral support for managing trying conversations. Scales is focused throughout on fostering a culture that embraces and understands the importance of intellectual freedom, and the tools to make it a reality every day in our libraries, schools, and communities. Learn from her to build a background in the ethics involved in defending intellectual freedom and lean on her for insights into real-life situations. Scales on Censorship is an essential ally in the ongoing fight.

Members of the Advisory Committee are enthused about the priority accorded intellectual freedom in the second draft of CLA’s proposed future plan. Under “Why we make a difference,” the very first reference is to “improving access to information for Canadians and working to protect intellectual freedom by advocating for the development of policies and position statements.” Within this broad framework, we think an important question for the CLA membership at large to consider is the scope and boundaries of the Association’s intellectual freedom policies, interests and advocacy. That is, does the membership support a “library focus” on library censorship issues? Or does the membership embrace a broader societal perspective grounded in Charter freedoms and responsibilities for all Canadians? There appear to be many nuances represented among CLA members. For example, some (if not all) school librarians see their role as promoting and teaching intellectual freedom in the context of citizenship responsibility. The CLA Award for the Advancement of Intellectual Freedom in Canada has several times been given to recognize contributions by individuals and groups beyond library borders. CLA itself is a member of the umbrella organization called the Book and Periodical Council, which among other initiatives sponsors Freedom to Read Week across Canada. When does a freedom of expression issue become a library issue? Can we comfortably snip off the library dimension of civil liberties? And if we do, are we open to the charge of being overly self-serving? It seems the media are often caught in the same self-serving boat – delighted to inflame library censorship controversies but holier-thanthou when their own press freedoms are under attack. In any event, are CLA members interested in broadening our civil liberties alliances and partnerships, or more comfortable with the more traditional library focus? There are many issues awaiting your perspective. Some are addressed by colleagues below – for example, the G20 Summit protests and the case for workplace speech. But there are so many others about which the Advisory Committee needs an understanding in order to be able to take action and make recommendations – for example, the WikiLeaks controversy, defamation suits and libel chill, transgender rights, campus clashes, saving indigenous languages, Internet neutrality, filtering, government criticism of works of art, film and television ratings, Canada Border Services censorship, decriminalization of prostitution, access to government information, hate speech and the human rights commissions, or any of the inevitable condemnations from time to time of authors, cartoonists, bloggers, journalists and political activists at home and around the world.

Christian librarians should derive their professional ethics from methodical exegesis of the Bible. The New Testament’s most salient ethical statements center on love--for God, neighbor, and fellow believers. Each of these has significant implications for library practice. Identifying love as the core virtue of librarianship represents a radical departure from secular approaches to library ethics. While the biblical and secular models converge on some significant points, they are fundamentally opposite. Where the two reach similar conclusions, the biblical model proves to be more philosophically consistent. The Scriptures speak with enduring relevance to the issues facing librarians. The core values of librarians have come under intense scrutiny in recent years. According to several accounts, the debate over the essential principles of librarianship reached a feverish pitch at the 2000 Convention of the American Library Association (ALA) in Chicago. There, following passionate discussion of a proposed Core Values Statement, the ALA Council voted to extend the process of formulating a set of values for the profession (Flagg, 2000; Gerhardt, 2000; “Values dominate,” 2000). Only weeks earlier, the ALA had published Michael Gorman’s Our enduring values: Librarianship in the 21st century. Gorman presented a synopsis of this book at the 2000 conference of the Association of Christian Librarians (ACL); a summary of his presentation appeared in The Christian Librarian in 2001. His proposals have elicited written responses from several Christian librarians (Baker, 2001; Delivuk, 2001b, 2001c; Doerksen, 2001) and appear to have heightened interest in the formulation of a distinctively Christian approach to library values. For example, the 2001 ACL conference schedule included at least five workshops or panel discussions on topics related to librarians’ values, a significant increase over recent years. In many ways Gorman’s proposed values--stewardship, service, intellectual freedom, rationalism,

What is the state of intellectual freedom and libraries in the early twenty‐first‐century digital environment? This question is addressed largely in relation to public and school libraries, where more than 90 percent of documented challenges exist and at which most legislative and judicial actions relevant to intellectual freedom and libraries are directed. Analyses of changing perceptions of the intellectual‐freedom leadership role of women and children; of the relevant policy documents of the American Library Association; of recent legislation and judicial decisions, focused on both books and the Internet; and of the current public perception of libraries as a public good reveal the complexities and tensions that exist in the answer to this question. One possible explanation for the current state of intellectual freedom and libraries is offered through application of radical‐change theory. Changes in research, education, and practice are suggested based on the conclusions from these analyses.

Colleges and universities are expanding their offerings through distance education courses and programs. One challenge associated with these offerings is defining the remote learner. Emporia State University offers several distance education programs with students scattered throughout the United States. Although the university moved quickly into providing remote education, the library has struggled to provide equitable access to services and resources for distance learners. This paper reports the results of a project undertaken to profile the distance learner enrolled in the School of Library and Information Management of Emporia State University.

Purpose – The author shares information about the American Library Association’s 133rd annual conference in Las Vegas. This conference served as an open forum for participants on incredible range of topics, namely, e-books, digital content, innovation and community engagement, library instruction, copyright, outreach, privacy, library advocacy, literacy, data-driven decision making, intellectual freedom, teen services, gaming, leadership and best practices on a range of library-related concerns. Design/methodology/approach – This report is a brief outline of ALA 2014 annual conference in Las Vegas with focus on international programs. It summarizes selective events, including author’s presentation on e-books advocacy in India, International Librarians’ Reception and paper session organized by IRRT. Findings – ALA annual conference at Las Vegas was one of the best professional development opportunities for librarians, with a large variety of programs, activities and exhibition. The event attracted librarians from all sectors and work environments from many countries and highlighted issues in librarianship and latest technology development; its use in libraries will be of interest to this journal’s readership, especially information professionals from all over the world. Originality/value – ALA Annual conference in June 26-July 1, 2014 was the largest conference of librarians touched all topics in librarianship. It is difficult to describe the entire conference events even briefly in an article. The author’s experiences during the international events are highlighted.

While there has been a general movement in public libraries away from fines for late return of materials, as they are perceived as a barrier to access (American Library Association, 2019), the situation on abolishing fines is not as clear in the academic library community and there is a general lack of literature on this topic concerning academic libraries. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the structure of late fees for various materials in the 4-year public universities in Kansas to gain insight into current practice in academic libraries in Kansas. In addition, the researchers wanted to determine if all policy information related to late fees was freely available on pubic-facing web pages in each library’s website. The library websites of each of the target universities (Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburgh State University, University of Kansas, Wichita State University, and Washburn University) were searched for each institutions policy on return of library materials and any late fees charged. All institutions but one were found to provide details of late fee policies on their web pages, but the location of the policy information was not consistent across institutions and was not always obvious in the structure of the library websites. The data showed a wide range of policies across the various universities. All universities had some form of fee structure related to late or lost items but there was little consistency. Fine amounts were also considered relative to the undergraduate tuition costs of each institution to see if this might explain the widely differing fee amounts.

Briefly Noted Lori A. Goetsch Is Consulting for You? A Primer for Information Professionals, Ulla de Stricker. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008. 101p. $40; member price $36 (ISBN 0-8389-0947-7) Knowledge Management: Historic and Cross-Disciplinary Themes, Danny P. Wallace. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 235 p. $60 (ISBN 978-1-59158-502-2) Is Consulting for You? A Primer for Information Professionals, Ulla de Stricker. Chicago: American Library Association, 2008. 101p. $40; member price $36 (ISBN 0-8389-0947-7) Ulla de Stricker, a Toronto-based consultant, discusses skill sets in demand and benefits and challenges as well as business plan, proposal, and contract development in this straightforward guide to the realities of consulting. This volume is useful for anyone considering consulting as a supplement to or replacement for library employment. Knowledge Management: Historic and Cross-Disciplinary Themes, Danny P. Wallace. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2007. 235p. $60 (ISBN 978-1-59158-502-2) In this ambitious work, Danny Wallace, professor in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Oklahoma, takes on the slippery topic of knowledge management (KM). In an effort to comprehensively document the origins of and theoretical foundations for KM, Wallace explores and synthesizes a wide range of writings from education and philosophy to computer and information sciences. The book will be of particular interest to library and information sciences students and faculty. [End Page 170] Lori A. Goetsch Kansas State University, lgoetsch@ksu.edu Copyright © 2009 The Johns Hopkins University Press

On LHRT’s Seventy-Fifth Anniversary

In 1954 the all-Japan Librarians’ conference of Japan Library Association adopted the Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries. Internationally in those days only American Library Association adopted Library’s Bill of Rights (1934) and formed the Committee on Intellectual Freedom to Safeguard the Library Users to Freedom of Inquiry. Through analysis of the social background for adopting a statement on intellectual freedom, this paper presents the missionary thought and hope of Japanese librarians on library and information services after being defeated in World War 2 and having struggled to re-construct Japanese society.

THE VIOLENT EVENTS of the 1960's focused the attention of the nation on the plight of minorities in this country. The American Library Association looked at the problem and noted that there were few representatives in either the profession or coming into it through the library schools. In an attempt reverse this situation, A.L.A. decided act positively and recruit Black students (then still called Negro), who were the only group identified as minority in 1966. The means of recruitment was through the appointment of an Ad Hoc Committee on Opportunities for Negro Students in the Library Profession. Its purpose was to suggest what steps usefully could be taken by A.L.A. identify promising young Negro undergraduates who might, once identified, be effectively counseled and aided toward the end of entering library school and securing positions in the library profession/1 * Additionally, the committee defined its objectives as: explore the possibilities of securing financial assistance for such students attend library schools, and study the range of choice of

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