Intellectual Freedom &

Censorship in Libraries
LS5083 Foundations of Library and Information Sciences
Autumn Field
Objectives
u Intellectual Freedom
u Challenged Books
u International Occurrence with Intellectual Freedom
u Censorship
u Professional Development for Librarians
 What is Intellectual Freedom?
u What is Intellectual Freedom? (Oltmann, 2017)
u Progressive Era Librarianship (Cooper & Beman-
Cavallaro, 2017)
u Academic Libraries vs. Public & School Libraries
(Oltmann, 2017)
u Library Bill of Rights (Barniskis, 2016)
Challenging Intellectual Freedom

u Intellectual Freedom Challengers (Knox, 2014)

u Aspects of a Challenger (Knox, 2014)
u Focus of Challenged Topics (Knox, 2014)
Reasons for Challenging
u Society in Decline (Knox, 2014)
u Innocence of Children (Knox, 2014)
u Roles of Public Libraries and Schools (Knox, 2014)
The Forgotten Books
u Office of Intellectual Freedom (Diaz & Larue,
2017)
u Increase in book challenges (Diaz & Larue, 2017)
u Hate Crimes in Libraries (Diaz & Larue, 2017)
ALA Banned Books Week
u Banned Books Week (Knox &
Oltmann, 2015)
u Diversity and Banned Books (Diaz &
Larue, 2017)
u Banned Books Week Outreach (Diaz &
Larue, 2017)
The International Occurrence
u Equitable Access to Information
(Hannabuss & Stevens, 1994)
u Control of Information (Mwafulilwa,
2017)
u Issues with Accessibility to Information
(Mwafulilwa, 2017)
u Digital Divide Amongst Citizens
(Hannabuss & Stevens, 1994)
Importance of International Data

u Spreading of Cultural Information

(Hannabuss & Stevens, 1994)
u Establishing ethical guidelines for
libraries
Did you say…Censorship?
u Censorship (Oltmann, Peterson &
Knox, 2017)
u Children’s Internet Protection Act
(Oltmann, Peterson & Knox, 2017)
u Self-Censorship in Libraries
(Oltmann, Peterson & Knox, 2017)
“Censorproofing” Our Libraries

u Avoiding Controversy and Criticism

(Schrader, 1997)
u Purchasing Certain Materials
(Schrader, 1997)
u Different Types of Complaints
(Schrader, 1997)
u Responsibility of School & Public
Librarians
Helping Our Librarians

u OIF Leadership Development (Diaz & Larue,

2017)
u Intellectual Freedom Blog (Diaz & Larue, 2017)
References
u Ambaum, G., & Barnes, B. (2013, October 31). Reading Levels Poster [Digital image]. Retrieved from
http://www.unshelved.com/2013-10-31
u Barniskis, S. C. (2016). Access and Express: Professional Perspectives on Public Library Makerspaces and Intellectual
Freedom. Public Library Quarterly, 35(2), 103–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2016.1198644
u Cooper, L. B., & Beman-Cavallaro, A. D. (2017). We’ve Come a Long Way (Baby)! Or Have We? Evolving Intellectual
Freedom Issues in the United States and Florida. Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, 16–27.
u Diaz, E., & Larue, J. (2017). The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom celebrates its history. American Libraries,
48(11/12), 38–44.

u Hannabuss, S., & Stevens, N. (1994). Intellectual Freedom in Libraries in Eastern Europe. Journal of Academic
Librarianship, 20(2), 114. Retrieved from http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&an=9407223218

u Knox, E. J. M. (2014). Society, institutions, and common sense: Themes in the discourse of book challengers in 21st
century United States. Library and Information Science Research, 36(3–4), 171–178.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2014.06.003

u Knox, E. J. M., & Oltmann, S. M. (2015). Social Responsibility, Librarianship, and the ALA: The 2015 Banned Books
Week Poster Controversy. Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 88(1), 5–22.

u Mwafulilwa, C. M. (2017). Information Ethics for the 21st Century Libraries in Zambia. Journal of Information Ethics,
26(2), 101–119.
u Oltmann, S. (2017). Intellectual Freedom in Academic Libraries: Surveying Deans about Its Significance. College &
Research Libraries, 78(6), 741–760. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.6.741
u Oltmann, S. M., Peterson, C., & Knox, E. J. M. (2017). Analyzing Challenges to Library Materials: An Incomplete
Picture. Public Library Quarterly, 36(4), 274–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2017.1324233
u Schrader, A. M. (1997). Why You Can’t “Censorproof” Your Public Library: What Research Tells Us. Public Library
Quarterly, 16(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1300/J118v16n01