Atilia Berry

Spring 2015
FRIT 7332

Personal Statement of Intellectual Freedom

The American Library Association (2015) defines intellectual freedom as the right of
every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without
restriction. The advanced technologies of todays society requires intellectual freedom to
incorporate books, newspapers, magazines as well as internet websites. More and more students
are gathering information using a wide range of resources. It is important that libraries provide
ideas and information in a variety of formats to allow people to inform themselves (ALA, 2015).
Unlike many other countries, in the United States most of us are provided the right to self-govern
our day to day lives. In order to do this, people should be well informed on a wide range of
knowledge and ideas. To obtain, retain, and share this knowledge and information, intellectual
freedom must be permitted (ALA, 2015).
As a school library media specialist it is important to select a wide range of materials for
students of all ages and background. Students, just like parents and teachers come from many
different walks of life. Some communities strictly prohibit the things that children and adults are
exposed to which can leave them with a narrow view of the world. As pointed out in the article
Solo Librarians and Intellectual Freedom: Perspectives from the Field, there are many
components that play a role in the Intellectual freedom of a library. Much like Maria and Cheryl,
I believe that collection development, privacy, library policies, and assistant training should all
be key priorities of the library media specialist (Adams, 2011). In order to efficiently develop a
library collection, research of the population is needed. My selected materials will contain both
fiction and nonfiction for all reading levels with characters that represent the population of the
world, diverse. Students will be assured that books and materials they check out is private and
ultimately everyone working in the library will have the same priorities and be adequately
informed on intellectual freedom.

In many schools, excessive filtering beyond the requirements of the Childrens Internet
Protection Act (CIPA) blocks much constitutionally protected online content (Adams, 2011). As
mentioned previously, it is important that we focus on the intellectual freedom of all materials,
including the internet. Fighting against censorship on the internet, in my opinion, poses a greater
challenge. Sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and twitter can be very valuable to promoting
education but unfortunately there will be students and adults who utilize these resources for
negative purposes (Lamb, 2007). The decision to filter these sites goes way beyond the
individual school, however we can continue to promote intellectual freedom in the media center
by providing non internet related resources on topics. Teachers and media specialist may be able
to access and print certain internet resources for students to use. I will also promote intellectual
freedom by creating a bulletin board (similar to the human resources boards that are used in
workplace break rooms to explain wages, harassments, workplace injuries, etc.) in the library
that explains what intellectual freedom is.
My advocacy/leadership efforts that I will engage in to promote intellectual freedom
begin with teachers, and faculty. Making sure that school educators are well informed is the first
step. The school counselor also plays a major role in the school community because they
consistently meet with students and help to address any issues a student may be having. While
maintaining student confidentiality, the counselor may be able to recommend certain resources to
students and parents. Some of these resources may have been previously censored due to the
nature of topic (sex education, divorce, bullying, etc.) In addition to the bulletin board that I
mentioned previously, at the beginning of each school year, in cooperation with the teacher, I
will make sure that each student has the opportunity to read, understand, and ask any questions
they may have about intellectual freedom.

References

Adams, H. (2011). Solo Librarians and Intellectual Freedom: Perspectives

From The Field. Knowledge Quest, 40(2), 31-35. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
American Library Association, 2015, Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorshipfirstamendmentissues/ifcensorshipqa
Lamb, A. (2007). Intellectual Freedom for Youth Social Technology and Social Networks.
Knowledge Quest, 36(2), 38-45. Retrieved February 7, 2015, from Intellectual Freedom
101.