Intellectual Freedom, Censorship and other fun topics

Discuss the issues surrounding intellectual freedom, censorship, selection, and in loco parentis in school libraries.  Do not restrict your comments to print format only, and consider how long standing programs (such as AR, or highly restrictive filtering) may play a role in intellectual freedom issues.  How will you deal with these issues?

Intellectual freedom, censorship, selection, in loco parentis, AR (Accelerated Reader), and restrictive filtering are important issues in school libraries.  My experience, as a Mom, school volunteer, graduate library student, and now as a librarian at a middle school, is that most people’s first reaction is very strong, either for or against, all the above issues.  I’ll use myself as an example, since I used to think differently about all of these subjects.  I do find it much easier to talk about these issues with people who feel differently than I do since I also used to think that way.  

Before being in library school, I was a parent who wasn’t educated about intellectual freedom, censorship, and selection.  I wish every parent could learn what I  have learned.  If they did, I think there would be less issues with intellectual freedom and censorship. In my library classes, I have read and discussed many different reasons why it’s so important to have Intellectual Freedom and to try to stop censorship.  For starters, it’s our right to have Intellectual Freedom.  

A parent is generally the person who challenges a library resource.  It  is usually done to protect the child or because the parent truly wants what’s best for their child.   The heart’s in the right place, but the level of knowledge about the issues is not sufficient to make an educated decision.  What is really amazing to me is that the very subject that the parent is trying to protect their child from is still going to find its way to their child.  As a parent, do you want your child to get the information from a friend (who may not have the correct information), or would you want your child to find the factual information in a trusted library resource, followed by an open and bonding conversation between you and your child?

If you’re a librarian, it’s so important to make sure that the library you work for has a collection policy.  The school library and district I work at has a collection policy.  All the resources in the library have been approved by the district.  If a parent were to challenge a material in my library, I would first let them “vent”.  I would then ask them if they have read the entire resource.  If the answer is no, then I would ask them to please read it before challenging it.  If they decide to still challenge it, then they can do that.  I will give them the triplicate “Reconsideration” form.  I know that I have the backing of the district, so I am completely relaxed about any potential challenges.  It’s also important for the librarian to remember that it’s not a personal attack, and that the person probably is really trying to protect their child.  

I have learned that just because I don’t like a book or internet resource, or don’t want my child reading a book or looking at a certain website, doesn’t mean I should stop other children from reading that book or looking at that website.  That decision should be left up to the parents of that child and ideally the child has some input as well.  It’s so important to remind people (and ourselves) that a librarian or other parent is not in loco parentis (acting as the parent).  Only a parent should act as a parent of their own child. 

Organizing two different Banned Books Week events, for two very different audiences, has also helped me further my appreciation for honoring Intellectual Freedom and trying to stop censorship.  I have been the chairperson of two Elluminate (web conferencing software) Banned Books Week events at SJSU SLIS (School of Library and Information Science). Seeing how passionate people were about reading from their favorite challenged or banned book was really enlightening.  

The other event I organized was a week-long celebration of Banned Books Week at the middle school library where I work.  I pulled all the challenged and banned books that our library had on the shelves and put them on a couple of carts with caution tape around the cart.  One of the volunteers put signs on the shelves such as “Where did all the Twilight books go?  Come ask Mrs. Renton about Banned Books Week.”  That week was so awesome!  So many kids told me they really loved Banned Books week and they were shocked to see so many of their favorite books on the Banned Books week carts.  A lot of the students initially thought they couldn’t check out the books on the cart.  When I explained that they definitely could check them out, and that we were celebrating their freedom to be able to do so, they still didn’t seem to really grasp the concept.  I tried to think of ways to explain it to them, and came up with two items that seemed to help them understand.  The first thing I did was ask them what their favorite book was on the Banned Books Week cart.  I then asked them what they would think if they asked to check out that book, and I said “No, you can’t check that out because it’s been banned.”  They all thought that was either “stupid”, or “crazy”, or “not right”.  I told them they were exactly right and fortunately they can check out those books.  I also explained to them that just because they may not like a book, or I may not like a book, doesn’t give them or me the right to stop other people from reading it.  Between those two ways of explaining Intellectual Freedom and Censorship, they were able to understand the concept much better.  (I know we are meant to be discussing books and other resources, but for Banned Books Week, I did only discuss books-I’ll change that next year to incorporate other resources).  Because of my classes at SJSU, and my involvement in different Banned Books Week events, I have come to really respect individual’s right to read what they want. 

When selecting books, websites, or other resources for a collection, the librarian needs to be mindful that he or she is not censoring material.  Every librarian has their own religious, political, and social customs and opinions, but those particular customs and opinions need to be ignored when selecting material for a library.    

Restrictive filtering is a very difficult area for schools.  Schools have a responsibility to keep their students safe.  The intention of the filters is to keep inappropriate content away from students.  Unfortunately, some of the filters also block things that are appropriate, but may have an inappropriate word.  A common word that is often blocked in the filter software is “breast”.  Blocking the word “breast” also blocks recipes that call for chicken breasts and information about knight’s armor  (Woolls, 2008). 

A very sensitive subject for me is Accelerated Reader (AR). I was never against this program until I began working in a middle school library.  As a parent, I always thought “Oh, great, there’s a program that gives my child feedback about how well they’re comprehending what they’re reading.”  As a middle school librarian, it’s heart-breaking to hear a child say “Well, I was really enjoying that book, but my teacher said I can’t read it because it’s AR level is too low (or too high), or it isn’t worth enough points.   I keep on hearing students say “I need to pick an AR book.”  There is too much emphasis on all the wrong aspects of reading.  I think AR is a “buzz-kill”.  Let’s tell our children they have to read only “approved” AR books, make them read it, and then test them on it.  Yay, what fun for the student!  NOT!  But amazingly, everyone goes along with it.  I tell the students, “you can still read that book, and I hope you do because you’re enjoying it.  For this assignment, you will have to pick a book that matches the criteria your teacher has set.  But, please, don’t think that the book you are enjoying is not a worthwhile book.  If you’re enjoying it, it’s worthwhile.”  The basic problem with AR is that students are so focused on picking an “AR book” that they are missing the whole point of recreational reading and they are also being told what to read and more importantly, what not to read.  How sad.

Bibliography

Woolls, B. (2008). The School Library Media Manager. Westport: Libraries Unlimited.