Intellectual Freedom
POLICY STATEMENT ON INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
by the California School Library Association
We support and are in agreement with the philosophy statements contained in:
- The American Library Association “Library Bill of Rights”
- The American Association of School Librarians “School Library Bill of Rights”
- The National Council of Teachers of English “Freedom to Read” Resolution
- The Young Adult “Right to Read” Statement
We support the principles in intellectual freedom which are inherent in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and believe these principles must be protected and preserved to assist the growth of informed and responsible citizens.
We support policies which assure the confidentiality of library records. We support free access to ideas in a free society and freedom of choice.
We support the establishment of policies and procedures by the legal governing board of a school district which provide for selection of library materials by certificated library media personnel in conjunction with other certificated staff, which will reflect the varied groups in America so that students may develop the ability to form judgments based on full information; and which support the curriculum, as well as encourage growth not only in knowledge, but in literary, cultural and aesthetic appreciations.
We support selection policies which provide for a wide range of materials appropriate for the user, placing principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice.
We support the establishment of local board procedures for dealing with concerns of the school community regarding allegedly inappropriate instructional materials in a fair, professional, and timely manner.
We support the right of parents or guardians to monitor the reading and viewing and listening activities of their own children.
CSLA makes the above statement to make known its position of support of intellectual freedom, and to make known its desire to maintain library media programs with integrity throughout the educational systems of California.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS
School Library Bill of Rights
School libraries are concerned with generating understanding of American freedoms and with the preservation of these freedoms through the development of informed and responsible citizens. To this end the American Association of School Librarians reaffirms the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association and asserts that the responsibility of the school library is:
- To provide materials that will enrich and support the curriculum, taking into consideration the varied interests, abilities, and maturity levels of the pupils served
- To provide materials that will stimulate growth in factual knowledge, literary appreciation, aesthetic values, and ethical standards
- To provide a background of information which will enable pupils to make intelligent judgments in their daily life
- To provide materials on opposing sides of controversial issues so that young citizens may develop under guidance the practice of critical reading and thinking
- To provide materials representative of the many religious, ethnic, and cultural groups and their contributions to our American heritage
- To place principle above personal opinion and reason above prejudice in the selection of materials of the highest quality in order to assure a comprehensive collection appropriate for the users of the library