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Title details for Intellectual Freedom Stories from a Shifting Landscape by Valerie Nye - Available

Intellectual Freedom Stories from a Shifting Landscape

by Valerie Nye
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Intellectual freedom is a complex concept that democracies and free societies around the world define in different ways but always strive to uphold. And ALA has long recognized the crucial role that libraries play in protecting this right. But what does it mean in practice? How do library workers handle the ethical conundrums that often accompany the commitment to defending it? Rather than merely laying out abstract policies and best practices, this important new collection gathers real-world stories of intellectual freedom in action to illuminate the difficulties, triumphs, and occasional setbacks of advocating for free and equal access to information for all people in a shifting landscape. Offering insight to LIS students and current practitioners on how we can advance the profession of librarianship while fighting censorship and other challenges, these personal narratives explore such formidable situations as

  • presenting drag queen story times in rural America;
  • a Black Lives Matter "die-in" at the undergraduate library of the University of Wisconsin-Madison;
  • combating censorship at a prison library;
  • hosting a moderated talk about threats to modern democracy that included a neo-Nazi spokesman;
  • a provocative exhibition that triggered intimidating phone calls, emails, and a threat to burn down an art library;
  • calls to eliminate non-Indigenous children's literature from the collection of a tribal college library; and
  • preserving patrons' right to privacy in the face of an FBI subpoena.

    • Creators

    • Publisher

    • Release date

      April 21, 2020

    • Formats

      • Kindle Book

      • OverDrive Read

        • ISBN: 9780838947357

      • EPUB ebook

        • ISBN: 9780838947357
        • File size: 344 KB

    • Languages

      • English

    • Reviews

      • Library Journal

        September 1, 2020

        Editor Nye (library director, Santa Fe Community Coll.) argues that storytelling has a long tradition among librarians and that it is a vital tool in promoting intellectual freedom. Stories, she says, combat misinformation and strengthen trust between libraries and their community. Nye spent 15 years listening to the stories of librarians who have faced challenges to intellectual freedom; she categorizes them by topic, including difficult conversations and cultural sensitivity. The resulting compilation provides enlightening, real-world examples that will serve as a road map for other librarians. Megan Lott describes how at Rutgers University Library, two pieces of art by Joseph Arsulo were removed when a young Christian woman objected to a piece entitled Vitruvian Man; though the incident resulted in censorship, Lott learned hard lessons about the importance of preparing for challenges. Daniel Forsman, of the Stockholm Public Library, writes about fielding complaints after hosting a panel on which a figurehead of Sweden's neo-Nazi movement spoke. Rain Bloom and Carrie Kruse discuss what happened when a Black Lives Matter die-in was held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's library. VERDICT Essential reading for all libraries, especially public libraries, and as a textbook for library students.--Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL

        Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    Formats

    • Kindle Book
    • OverDrive Read
    • EPUB ebook

    subjects

    Languages

    • English

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