ALA | Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials (Coping With... - 0 views
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School librarians play a key role in making sure that students have the broad range of resources and ideas they need to develop critical thinking skills. Challenges to materials provide a “teachable moment” that can help you build understanding and support for the principles of intellectual freedom, including First Amendment rights, student rights of access and professional ethics.
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anonymous on 13 Oct 10Turn a challenge into a teachable moment
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Applying the principles of intellectual freedom Connect academic freedom with intellectual freedom. Academic freedom guarantees the teacher’s right to teach and to select classroom and library resources for instruction. Make sure everyone involved understands the right of people in a democratic society to express their concerns and that all people have the right to due process in the handling of their complaints. Explain the obligation of the school district to provide intellectual and physical access to resources that provide for a wide range of abilities and differing points of view. Define intellectual and physical access when appropriate. Intellectual access includes the right to read, receive and express ideas and the right to acquire skills to seek out, explore and examine ideas. Physical access includes being able to locate and retrieve information unimpeded by fees, age limits, separate collections or other restrictions. Emphasize the need to place the principles of intellectual and academic freedom above personal opinion, and reason above prejudice, when selecting resources. Connect intellectual freedom and access. The freedom to express your beliefs or ideas becomes meaningless when others are not allowed to receive or have access to those beliefs or ideas. Stress the need for teachers and librarians to be free to present students with alternatives and choices if students are to learn and use critical thinking and decision-making skills.
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intellectual freedom
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Protecting students and staff with a materials selection policy Update your materials selection policy. Include a formal reconsideration process for textbooks, gift materials, electronic and other resources used in classrooms, laboratories and libraries. Seek board of education approval. Be sure to include the educational goals of the school district and to relate the selection policy to these goals. Emphasize the positive role of the selection policy in clarifying the use of educational resources and in ensuring stability and continuity regardless of staff change. To ensure uniformity and fairness in dealing with complaints, delegate the responsibility for dealing with complaints and requests for reconsideration to the principal in each school. Inform all your school staff (including nurses, secretaries, cafeteria workers and custodians) about the materials selection policy and reconsideration process. Review the policy with staff at the beginning of each school year. Distribute a copy of the policy with a simple statement that explains its importance in protecting students, teachers and librarians against censorship.
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Every school library needs a material selection policy. If your library doesn't, make it a priority.
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