Natania Riley

FRIT 7332

Dr. Weaver

Spring 2021

Intellectual Freedom Personal Statement

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.

It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a

question, cause or movement may be explored” (ALA, 2017). To protect student's rights to

intellectual freedom is the role of a 21st-century school library media specialist. Under First

Amendment rights, students have the right to choose and read material they enjoy even if others

may find inappropriate (i.e. Civil War).

As a school library media specialist, I plan to have materials in the library dedicated to all

students of the school population. The materials in the library can include a variety of materials

such as books, articles, DVDs, CDs, etc. Having different materials will meet the needs of every

learner. Growing up, I rarely found books with characters that looked like me. Every book I

picked up and read had characters that looked the same and acted the same way. Students need to

have books that have characters that look like them and that they can relate to in their own lives.

It is our job to build and have a collection that represents every aspect of life. We should have

materials in our media center on different topics that we face in our daily lives (racism, poverty,

immigration, etc.) for students to read and learn from. You never know what their interests are
until you give them plenty of options. “Allowing students to independently choose their reading

material enables them to pursue interests and explore new ideas” (Stripling, 2015).

As a school library media specialist, it is my job to provide a variety of materials on topics

that some may not find suitable. It is important to build a collection that students can explore

whether it is based on personal interest or how they relate to it in their own lives. There are so

many students who are afraid to read certain books based on the material inside whether the book

is on LGBT, religion, moral, witchcraft, sexual situations, etc. Students know other students

and/or their parents may judge them for picking and reading a book like that. Even though the

following materials listed above can be disturbing and controversial to some, I feel that you

should still provide and have books that talk about those things. For example, some students

never had the opportunity to learn about different religions because their parents do not like to

talk about them. When you have those different books in the libraries, those students can check

them out and educate themselves on the different religions out there. The media center should be

a judgment free-zone for students.

As a school library media specialist, another job I have is to create an environment in the

media center that promotes intellectual freedom. “Creating space for these positions to be heard

respectfully can be a challenge when the dominant culture of the institution is liberal and secular,

but intellectual freedom is undermined if the school-wide discourse becomes hegemonic”

(Seroff, 2015). As I mentioned earlier, the media center should be a judgment free-zone for

students. Students should be welcomed and allowed to pick books that spark their interest.

To accomplish this goal, you first have to educate the administrators and staff on

intellectual freedom. Before school starts, a meeting should be scheduled to introduce the topic

of intellectual freedom. This is when you provide teachers and staff with the materials you have
and how they can be tied to the content they are teaching. You can also provide them with

resources to explain intellectual freedom and how the student’s rights are protected. Once school

starts and teachers understand intellectual freedom, it will be great to set up a meeting/workshop

where you introduce intellectual freedom to parents. Although you will have some parents who

will not like the idea of providing certain materials to their child, they need to know that by

protecting their “child’s right to read widely, you help create thoughtful readers and responsible

future citizens who are ready to think critically” (Manley, 2017). By doing this, you are allowing

students to read those different topics and establish their own thoughts and opinions.

As previously stated, as a school library media specialist, it is my job to protect the rights

of my students as they read materials that they have interest in and want to learn more about. It is

neither my nor anyone else's job to judge them on what they pick to read. It is my responsibility

to create a safe environment that they can come to and read. I must educate the staff and parents

on intellectual freedom and the rights they have.

 References

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

Retrieved October 06, 2020, from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship/faq

Manley, M. (2017, May 20). Talking to Kids & Parents about Intellectual Freedoms. Retrieved

October 9, 2020, from https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2017/05/intellectual-freedoms-of-children/

Seroff, J. (2015). Developing a Curriculum in Intellectual Freedom What Our Students Need to Know.

Retrieved October 8, 2020, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1074342.pdf

Stripling, B. K. (2015). Creating a Culture of Intellectual Freedom Through Leadership and Advocacy.

Retrieved October 6, 2020, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1073935.pdf