Intellectual Freedom vs. Social Responsibility

Intellectual Freedom – Definition

• Rubin describes intellectual freedom as dealing with– “protecting the free flow of ideas or

information. It is based on the fundamental belief that the health of a society is maintained and improved when ideas can be created and disseminated without governmental, political, or social impediments.”

Intellectual Freedom vs. Social Responsibility

• Librarians should be aware of the debate between intellectual freedom and social responsibility and should try to “strike a balance” between them– Librarians are the gatekeepers of information in their

libraries– Libraries are a forum for ideas

• Intellectual freedom is important for maintaining a democratic society– However, librarians should be aware of the reasons to

restrict certain types of information

Reasons for encouraging access to materials

• Encouraging free access to information

• Educating children• Upholding

professional values in libraries

Encouraging free access to information

• Encouraging access supports the first amendment of the U.S. constitution for free speech– Protects the right for people to express

themselves

• Presenting different ideas, rather than restraining them, is essential for a democratic society

Encouraging free access to information (cont.)

• People need information from different viewpoints to make informed decisions– People decide which information they will use– Information may include those that may not be

completely accurate

• ALA states that libraries are “forums for information and ideas”

Educating children

• Some people believe that children should be exposed to different ideas, since that will allow them to develop intellectually – Others believe that children should be

restricted in their access to materials, so they may have desirable values instilled in them

Educating children (cont.)

• ALA does not believe that libraries should deny patrons access to library services because of their age

• ALA Bill of Rights article V – “A person’s right to use a library should not be

denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views”

Educating children (cont.)• ALA says that children have the rights

covered by U.S. constitution’s first amendment and that they should be able to access information in the library

• Parents are responsible for their children’s access to information

Upholding professional values in libraries

• Librarians should choose materials by using professional judgment, rather than choosing by personal preferences

• The ALA Bill of Rights article II– “Libraries should provide materials and

information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.”

Opposing Viewpoint Books

• Every book describes both sides of a particular topic

• Topics include child welfare, genetic engineering, and the war on drugs

Upholding professional values in libraries (cont.)

• By upholding intellectual freedom values, librarians can defend against challenges to the selection of the materials

Reasons for limiting access to materials

• Following personal values

• Maintaining the community’s values

• Ensuring that the library will continue to exist

• Protecting children

Following personal values

• Librarians may still use their personal values to make decisions

• For example, librarians may not want to obtain materials that encourages bigotry or that are very inaccurate

Maintaining the community’s values

• Librarians may want to follow the community’s values– Librarians view themselves as being a part of

the community– They may not think obtaining materials with

ideas that are significantly different from those values is appropriate

Maintaining the community’s values (cont.)

• Librarians may think that the materials they purchase should meet the community’s wants and needs and that buying materials that go against community values would create needless conflict

Ensuring that the library will continue to exist

• Librarians may fear that libraries may lose community support if they have objectionable materials

• Unsatisfied patrons may protest the libraries

• Libraries are funded by public money– They need public support to keep operating

Protecting Children

• Libraries may not necessarily follow intellectual freedom principles to protect children

• Children are easily influenced – So libraries may want to restrict children’s

access to certain materials

Library Functions Affected by Intellectual Freedom

• Collection management– Selecting materials– Deselecting (or

“weeding”) materials

• Cataloging and classification– How materials are

classified– Where the books are

physically located

Library Functions Affected by Intellectual Freedom (cont.)

• Reference services– Developing policies

• Administrative policies– Developing policies relating to materials and

patron’s privacy

Issues to Consider for Selecting Materials

• Labeling• Obscenity• Racism• Balance• Illegal acts• Reliability of information• Popularity• Likelihood of being stolen

Resources about Intellectual Freedom

• ALA Statements and Policies

• ALA Library Bill of Rights

• ALA Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights

• ALA Freedom to Read Statement

• ALA Freedom to View Statement

Resources about Intellectual Freedom (cont.)

• Intellectual Freedom Manual