*AASL Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit
Toolkit Cover (Print Version) Since 1998, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Workbook for Selection Policy Writing has provided guidance to school librarians. After two decades, the document needed a makeover! Kristin Pekoll, assistant director at the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), had a vision. She wanted to expand the workbook’s usefulness beyond school library professionals to include public and academic librarians. The Process and the People
Rainbow Book Lists « Rainbow Book List
Rainbow Book List Rainbow Book Lists The Rainbow Book List is released every January. Books on the list are published within the assigned calendar year or between July 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year.
Libraries and Intellectual Freedom - The First Amendment Encyclopedia
The First Amendment’s right to freedom of expression encompasses intellectual freedom, which includes an individual’s right to receive information on a wide range of topics from a variety of viewpoints. Publicly funded libraries play an important role in facilitating this free and open access to information. (Photo via Pixabay, CC0)
Intellectual Freedom: Issues and Resources
A commitment to intellectual freedom transforms your library. ALA actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedom is a core value of the library profession, and a basic right in our democratic society.
Learning to Work with Vendors
Working with book/material vendors can be stressful if you are socially awkward like my co-librarian and me. For the most part, we’ve been navigating the process by working exclusively with one specific vendor, but I can’t help wondering if we’re missing out. In the summer our library services holds a book/material Vendor Day meet and greet. I attended once, before I realized this type of situation is way outside my comfort zone. Even though vendors are just doing their jobs, they all want something from me (my budget money) that I probably won’t give them.
1000 Black Girl Books Resource Guide – GrassROOTS Community Foundation
This resource guide was created in direct response to the multiple requests made by educators, parents and students. Like Marley Dias, so many of you have asked for books with black girls as the main characters. And because of you, we have received thousands of books. Here we are sharing with you the first 700 book titles. We have not yet catalogued all the books. As a small organization with only two full-time staff, our resources are limited.
Access to Resources and Services in the School Library: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights - ALA
The school library plays a unique role in promoting, protecting, and educating about intellectual freedom. It serves as a point of voluntary access to information and ideas and as a learning laboratory for students as they acquire critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed in a pluralistic society. Although the educational level and program of the school necessarily shape the resources and services of a school library, the principles of the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights apply equally to all libraries, including school libraries. Under these principles, all students have equitable access to library facilities, resources, and instructional programs. School librarians assume a leadership role in promoting the principles of intellectual freedom within the school by providing resources and services that create and sustain an atmosphere of free inquiry.
Advocacy, Legislation & Issues
Copyright tools can help libraries and others to be more comfortable with their work to interpret the limitations and exceptions to the exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder under U.S. Copyright law. By exercising these valuable exceptions, we strengthen copyright’s primary purpose "to promote the progress of science and useful arts."
*Position Statement on Digital Content and E-books in School Library Collections
Today’s twenty-first century students must be able to discover, analyze, evaluate, interpret, and communicate ideas, information and knowledge in a variety of ways. Because school library programs are instrumental in teaching these skills, their collections must include a wide variety of formats beyond printed books. These multiple formats, including e-books and other forms of digital content, should be accessible by the school community physically and virtually as indicated in the mission statement of AASL’s program guidelines, Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs (2009). School library programs should provide access to materials in all formats, provide students and staff with current resources, and anticipate changes in technology. Presently, in 2013, there is no single device that will access all e-books. Consequently, school librarians face a confusing investment decision.
Reconsideration of Materials - Athens High School Library
Requests for Reconsideration of Materials Censorship leaves students with an inadequate and distorted picture of the ideals, values, and problems of their culture. Despite a sound book selection policy for the selection of worthwhile books for students to read, occasional objections to a work will undoubtedly be made.
In the News: Librarians could be jailed and fined under a proposed censorship law
A bill pending in Missouri's legislature takes aim at libraries and librarians who are making "age-inappropriate sexual material" available to children. The measure, championed by Ben Baker, a Republican lawmaker, calls for establishing review boards who would determine whether materials in libraries contain or promote "nudity, sexuality, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse." In addition, the boards, which would be comprised of parents, would root out materials lacking "serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value." Librarians who defy the review boards by buying and lending such materials would be subject to misdemeanor charges, fines upward of US$500, and a potential jail sentence up to one year. As a librarian, and now as an educator who teaches aspiring librarians, I see this bill as the latest chapter in a long history of books being banned from public and school libraries. Censorship and book banning
School Librarians as Learning Leaders
2016-2017 AASL president Audrey Church’s presidential initiative focused on furthering administrators’ understanding of the key role that strong school libraries and certified school librarians play in student learning. Members of the Presidential Initiative Task Force curated selected quality resources that demonstrate the important instructional role of librarians in 21st century schools. Please utilize these products created by the Task Force to inform principals and other stakeholders that school librarians are learning leaders. June 2017 AASL Advocacy & Legislation Coalition Call ArchiveAudrey and Presidential Initiative Task Force Members Deb Levitov, Michelle Folk, and Priscille Dando introduce the initiative and resources.
*Position Statement on the Confidentiality of Library Records
The members of the American Library Association,* recognizing the right to privacy of library users, believe that records held in libraries which connect specific individuals with specific resources, programs or services, are confidential and not to be used for purposes other than routine record keeping: i.e., to maintain access to resources, to assure that resources are available to users who need them, to arrange facilities, to provide resources for the comfort and safety of patrons, or to accomplish the purposes of the program or service. The library community recognizes that children and youth have the same rights to privacy as adults. Libraries whose record keeping systems reveal the names of users would be in violation of the confidentiality of library record laws adopted in many states. School librarians are advised to seek the advice of counsel if in doubt about whether their record keeping systems violate the specific laws in their states. Revised on 02/06/12
Position Statements
Skip to main content Position Statements The following position statement is currently under review to align with the National School Library Standards:
