School Library Media Centers and Intellectual Freedom
Pat R. Scales is a retired middle and high school librarian. She is author of Teaching Banned Books: Twelve Guides for Young Readers (ALA, 2001) and Protecting Intellectual Freedom in Your School Library: Scenarios From the Front Lines (ALA, 2009).
INTRODUCTION
In 1985, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) celebrated the first School Library Media Month, now called School Library Month. The theme for the 1985 celebration was “Where Learning Never Ends: The School Library Media Center.” School libraries serve the learning needs of students from the time they enroll in preschool programs until they graduate high school. “Learning Never Ends” in a school library, but there are factions in all communities that attempt to block the information that students are offered thus threatening the level of service that librarians strive to provide. These may be parents who have very specific complaints about books and media, or they may be citizens within the community who hear news stories about minors’ use & abuse of 2.0 technologies and want to “save” children from what they consider “evil forces.” This is why school librarians must understand the 21st century intellectual freedom issues and be prepared to deal with them in a proactive way. These issues include: Book & Materials Censorship, Library Access, Labeling & Privacy, and Internet Use.
BOOK & MATERIALS CENSORSHIP
The Information Age in which we live has redefined how school libraries serve the educational and recreational needs of patrons. In the past, most censorship issues have been related to specific books. While book challenges remain a primary issue in schools, there are now censorship issues related to film, music CDs, newspapers, magazines, and information delivered through data subscriptions. These challenges range from a call to suspend a subscription to Seventeen magazine because of a single advertisement to the removal of a film of Romeo and Juliet for nudity. There are documented cases of challenges to data resources that ask students to think about “hot” topics such as “abortion,” “gun control,” “illegal immigration,” and “the global economy.” Students of the 21st century are an inquisitive generation, and almost no subject is taboo. They ask questions. They demand answers. And, they need accurate information from all points of view as they begin to formulate their own ideas about the world and their role as world citizens.
Some school librarians may view challenges to library materials as a negative mark on their professional judgment and a threat to their program, but it should be noted that the growing numbers of challenges may also reflect the fact that more students are using school libraries, and that more teachers are recognizing the value of school libraries to their curriculum.
School librarians have a professional responsibility to maintain a diverse collection of materials that serves the individual needs of all students and faculty in the school. This means materials that represent a wide range of abilities and ideas, and celebrate the culturally diverse society in which we live. The selection of materials should be objective and completely free of personal bias. And, there should be a written Materials Selection Policy adopted by the school board and posted where students, parents and community citizens have access to its contents. It is difficult to defend a challenge if there is no selection policy. "Workbook for Selection Policy Writing" provides information for customizing a Materials Selection Policy for a school/school district.
Sometimes challenges to library materials come from school personnel. There are documented challenges brought by school administrators, teachers, school board members, and substitute teachers. These challenges should be handled in the same way as those brought by parents or any community citizen. One such case occurred in 1976 when members of the Island Trees School Board directed school officials to remove ten books from the school district’s high school and junior high school libraries. A group of students led by Steven Pico filed a lawsuit that challenged the school board’s actions, asserting that the board’s decision to remove the books violated students’ First Amendment rights. In 1982, the case landed in the hands of the Supreme Court: Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico. The Court held that “First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to students” and recognized students’ right to receive information in the school library. The decision stands today as the principal legal authority concerning censorship in the public school library. Recent decisions of lower federal courts have echoed the reasoning and the result of Pico and further clarified the rights of minors: Campbell v. St. Tammany Parish School Board (1995) confirmed that “the key inquiry in a book removal case is the school officials’ substantial motivation in arriving at the removal decision;” and, Case v. Unified School District (1995) found a school board’s removal of Annie on My Mind unconstitutional where a “substantial motivation” behind the book removal was the officials’ disagreement with the views expressed in the book.(Note: More detailed information about these cases can be found in Part V of the Intellectual Freedom Manual)
LIBRARY ACCESS
It has been a common practice in schools to place controversial materials on restricted shelves, and require students to have parental permission to use them. This is an access issue, and is a form of censorship. In 2003, a federal court in Arkansas decided a case dealing with restricted shelves. In a nutshell, the judge ruled that having to request materials from a librarian violates students’ First Amendment rights. Some school administrators and board members may need to be briefed regarding this “restricted shelf” case. A statement like “students have ‘unrestricted access’ to all materials in the school library” should be included in the Library Policy Section of the School Board Policy Manual. A statement of policy, with reference to the Arkansas court case, is reinforcement for librarians should they find themselves in a precarious situation where a parent or an administrator is asking them to “limit access” to certain materials.
In addition to Internet access, which will be discussed later in this essay, there are other access issues that must be considered. These include: serving students with special needs, meeting the extracurricular needs of students, and serving non-English speaking students. Interlibrary loan and partnerships with other libraries are a way of providing access to materials to “special” populations when library budgets prohibit purchase of a volume of materials with a narrow focus. For example, some schools that serve teen parents may offer access to books and non-print materials for babies through a partnership with the public library.
LABELING & PRIVACY
The focus on student achievement has created new issues related to labeling and privacy in the school library. Students should have the freedom to use the library and its entire collection without fear that they are being labeled in any way. Reading-level labels are the most common form of labeling in schools. These labels are often determined by companies such as Accelerated Reader or Lexile Framework for Reading, which use a scientific formula to assign the reading levels. School libraries that place books on the shelves by “reading level” and/or require students to take out books on their “specific” reading level label students and deny them “unrestricted access” to library materials. This practice is also a privacy issue because students’ reading levels are revealed to their peers.
Another blatant form of labeling in school libraries is content labeling of materials. This includes placing stickers on the spines of books for students to use as a guide in identifying books related to specific content. For example, some schools may label horror books with a “skull and cross bones” sticker. Others may place a “for mature readers only” sticker on books for older readers. Students should be free to borrow books from any section of the library without being scrutinized by their teachers, their peers or the parents of their peers.
There are companies that label materials and disguise these labels as reviews. For example, Common Sense Media is a Web-based company that labels books, music CDs, movies, TV shows, and video games for children and young adults in five categories: Violence; Sex; Drinking, Drugs & Smoking; Language; and Consumerism. These ratings are based on the opinion of one person, and don’t examine media as a whole. Librarians should take note that parents may know about this website, and use these labels to challenge content of materials in the library. Web-based companies such as Common Sense Media advertise that they are a review source. This is troubling since the primary content of their reviews is ratings. Now, Accelerated Reader has a rating “MG+” which refers to books with mature content. This new rating is quite possibly a response to complaints from teachers and librarians that higher reading levels translate to “more mature themes.” Such ratings are inconsistent, often innocuous, and are presented as “warnings.” Selection of materials for school libraries must be based on reviews with authority; selection must not be based on ratings.
There is an ongoing debate among school librarians about issues related to labeling. Prejudicial content labeling is illegal, and librarians must comply with the courts. Affixing reading-level labels to books and using these labels to deny students access to library materials may not be illegal, but it’s certainly an ethical issue. Students should have the opportunity to use the library and all of its materials. This cannot be accomplished if students are relegated to one small section of the library. A statement regarding labeling should be included in library policy. (See ALA statement on Labels and Rating Systems: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights)
Closely related to labeling issues is privacy. Students use the library and borrow library materials for a variety of reasons, and they should expect their reference inquiries and their library records to be kept private.
Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia have adopted laws that specifically recognize the confidentiality of library records. The requirements of these laws vary by state. For this reason, it is best to check with the school district’s attorney to answer any questions related to how much privacy a student should expect in the school library. Some states grant complete privacy of library records, which means that even parents cannot obtain information regarding their child’s use of the library and its materials. Other states may have more limited privacy laws. Regardless of the state law, it is in the best interest of students to grant them privacy in the library setting. This is a core intellectual freedom value.
INTERNET USE
“Learning Never Ends” in a school library, but it is difficult for schools to help students take that final leap toward becoming responsible users of information when state and federal government regulations bar open access to the Worldwide Web.
Schools that accept the federal discounted e-rate for Internet access are required to put filters on their network or on individual computers. Some states require all schools to filter the Internet or lose state funding. This may also include faculty computers. Even in schools where filtering isn’t mandatory, some school personnel, including librarians, like the idea of limiting students’ access to the Internet because they feel that filtering relieves them of any personal liability should a student access an “inappropriate” site. Companies that design filtering software actually promote this belief. No filter is foolproof. The 21st century student is quite capable of getting around the filter and accessing anything they choose. At the same time, it is important to note that filters do often block constitutionally protected speech. All school personnel must understand these issues and work together to prepare students to be responsible users of the Internet within the constraints of federal and state laws.
Every school and/or school district should have an Internet Acceptable Use Policy, and it should be included in the student handbook, and posted on the school’s website. Students and parents should understand that the same rules of individual privacy regarding use of library materials apply to Internet use. Components of the policy should include: Statement of Policy; Access Rights and Privileges; Unacceptable Use; Network Etiquette; Security; Vandalism; Viruses; and Filters. The procedure for unblocking a filtered Internet site upon a student’s request should be clearly spelled out. Internet Acceptable Use Policies should be evaluated each year to address new issues that may have come up during the school year. The rules outlined in the policy should be reasonable, and the language not too strident. Students must have access to the Internet to function in a 21st century school environment.
Since the Internet is a primary reference tool for students in the school library, and at home, the school librarian should be the leader in designing an Internet Use curriculum that aligns with the goals and objectives of the school. Issues related to plagiarism, copyright, making informed decisions about the validity of information found on specific Internet sites, and citing sources should be included in the curriculum.
Many schools do not assign students school email accounts, or allow them to engage in blogging, develop websites, or participate in any type of Internet social networking at school. Even so, it is appropriate for the school library to conduct workshops with students and parents about the social networking culture. If the school allows social networking, then clear guidelines for use should be communicated to students. These guidelines must include “Staying Safe While Using 2.0 Technologies.” “Learning Never Ends” and students listen and respect the message when it is delivered within an “intellectually free” environment in the school library.
