Prepared by the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the California School Library Association, 2004

Resource links
The CSLA Intellectual Freedom Resource Page has been prepared to assist librarians and other school personnel in dealing with intellectual freedom issues at their school sites. It is a collection of documents, which can be used as guides when developing policies and procedures for selecting materials, responding to censorship challenges, dealing with pressure groups, and promoting access to all types of material and information for all school library users. Many of the sample documents are presented in PDF format. They may be saved and edited as needed when preparing your own documents.

Policy Statement
We support and are in agreement with the philosophy statements contained in the Library Bill of Rights (American Library Association).

We support the principles of 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 that 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 that 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 school 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, 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.

Planning Your District Policy and Procedures Manual
School districts will be better prepared for dealing with challenges if guidelines for policy are very specific, challengers are given their fair say, and such challenged materials are examined on the merits of the resource. Ten guidelines for dealing with challenges.

Thoughts and Tips on the Topic of Challenges to Resources
Here are ten simple things to remember when confronted with the possibility of a challenge to materials in your collection. Included are the names and phone numbers of professional organizations you can call for help. Thoughts and Tips.

Additional Resourses

California School Library Association Policy Statement on Intellectual Freedom (PDF format)

Policy and Procedures Model (PDF format)

Sample Request for Reconsideration of Materials (PDF format)

Checklist for Survival Against Censorship (Word format)

American Library Association Library Bill of Rights (external site)

Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media Program: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (external site)

School Library Media Centers and Intellectual Freedom by Dianne McAfee Hopkins (external site)

Bibliography of Selected Resources (PDF format)

Selected Groups the Actively Support Intellectual Freedom (PDF format)

Selected Groups that Advocate for Limited Intellectual Freedom (PDF format)

Background information (PDFs)