Intellectual Freedom

Freedom to Read Statement

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom

"OIF provides confidential support to anyone undergoing a material or service challenge. You can report censorship using our updated form."

"Our free consulting services help you prepare for censorship and implement vital intellectual freedom best practices within your library or school. We create and edit policies, strategize plans for working with communities and families, and provide workshops and programs about the First Amendment, privacy laws, internet filtering, and intellectual freedom."

#FReadom

This site has some excellent resources, especially the FAQ page. Question: How do books get selected for school libraries? Question: How do I respond to a social media post by a person with concerns about a book? Question: Why are there books with ____ In our school library?

#FreadomMovement Presentation - http://bit.ly/freadom22  

Community Inquiry of Library Content: Response Support

Book Challenges

From the website of the Office of Intellectual Freedom and the American Library Association


•A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.

•Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.


The ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of Challenged Books:

•Challenge information is gathered from newspapers and individuals

•Challenges can be reported to ALA OIF online HERE 

•KASL’s Intellectual Freedom Chair reports challenges to ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom annually


More resources from the American Library Association:

For more information, please contact the KASL Board's Intellectual Freedom Chair, Renee Hale. 

Book Résumés

Book Résumés help teachers, librarians, parents, and community members defend books from censorship. They detail each title’s significance and educational value and are easy to share with administrators, book review committees, elected officials, and board members.