INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM AND SCHOOL LIBRARIES: A Practical Application

In 2017 the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) released the "National School Library Standards." The revised standards were streamlined to reflect the attributes that dynamic school librarians, learners, and school libraries should possess. The standards provide school librar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Knowledge quest 2020-09, Vol.49 (1), p.18
Main Author: Jamison, Andrea
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advocacy
Censorship
Intellectual Freedom
Library Role
National Standards
School Libraries
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Summary:In 2017 the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) released the "National School Library Standards." The revised standards were streamlined to reflect the attributes that dynamic school librarians, learners, and school libraries should possess. The standards provide school librarians with a framework for creating school libraries that support student growth (Hancock et al. 2019). They also articulate Common Beliefs that represent the core values of librarianship. Among them, still, is the belief that intellectual freedom is the right of every learner. This article begins by defining intellectual freedom as it applies to students. It goes on to discuss challenges, such as internal and external censorship, associated with supporting intellectual freedom; the importance of school librarians educating their respective communities on the role of libraries in supporting information freedom; and how school librarians can work to change the narrative of marginalized groups by advocating for intellectual freedom.
ISSN:1094-9046