Jessica Horton

FRIT 7332

Dr. Stephanie Jones

February 17, 2020

Personal Statement on Intellectual Freedom

I believe that one of our most important duties to our students as media specialists is to

protect their individual intellectual freedom. In order to fully perform this duty, we must first

determine exactly what intellectual freedom consists of in a modern, 21st century media center.

We must also advocate and lead guided by the principles of our personal beliefs on intellectual

freedom.

Initially, we must define intellectual freedom within our media centers. According to the

American Library Association, intellectual freedom is “the right of every individual to both seek

and receive information from all points of view without restriction” (2017). My personal

definition expands even further, to note that in a 21st century learning environment, intellectual

freedom must be protected not only in traditional formats such as books and magazines, but also

in new and emerging technologies such as the internet and 3-D printing.

As a media specialist, I will commit to apply the principles of intellectual freedom as I

select materials. First, I will select materials from a wide variety of media, not just hard copies

of books. I will also make sure that materials represent a broad range of thoughts, opinions,

viewpoints, perspectives, and subjects. I will select items that support the curriculum, while also

supporting the availability of a diverse set of materials on each curricular topic. In this effort to

protect intellectual freedom as a component of my selection process, I will be aware of self-

censorship and how to avoid it. Nicolas Bellows asserts that self-censorship “generally comes
about due to fear of having to deal with a book being challenged” (2005). In order to prevent

self-censorship, I must first acknowledge my own biases and fears. Only when we realize that

we all have individual preferences and opinions on subjects can we begin to set those aside to

avoid self-censorship. Additionally, I believe that participating in high quality professional

development and professional learning communities with other media specialists will afford me

the opportunity to discuss self-censorship and learn new strategies to avoid it.

In my school, I will ensure that the media center is an environment that promotes

intellectual freedom to the highest degree possible. For example, currently in our media center,

students who are in fifth grade and below are not permitted to check out books from a certain

section deemed the “middle school section”. I do not believe that any section of materials should

be off-limits to a particular group of students based on age or grade level. Also, students are not

allowed to check out e-readers for their use. In order to promote availability of all materials,

digital and otherwise, I will allow students to check out these electronic materials.

I also will promote intellectual freedom throughout the school, not just within the

confines of the media center. Of particular importance is educating our teachers and parents on

the rights of students to have intellectual freedom and the benefits of giving them that freedom.

I’ll also provide professional development to our teachers on how to access and make available a

variety of sources concerning the content they’re teaching.

In conclusion, the value of intellectual freedom cannot be understated. However, it is not

a right that happens organically, rather, we as media specialists are entrusted with protecting and

encouraging intellectual freedom.

References
American Library Association. Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A. (2017, October 20).

Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship/faq.

Bellows, N. (2005, April). Measuring Self-Censorship in School Media Centers. Retrieved from

Measuring_Self-Censorship_in_School_Media_Centers.pdf.