School librarians regularly face difficult intellectual freedom questions. Is it a good idea to put grade- or reading-level labels on the outside of books or use labels to determine what students should read? Do children have First Amendment rights? The ALA "Intellectual Freedom Manual" provides answers and guidance. The…

What do school librarians fear most? Hands down, their biggest fear is a formal challenge to a resource in the school library. There are no accurate statistics about the number of challenges to school library resources. The staff of ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom estimates that only about 20 percent are reported to ALA annually. For the…

The article is divided into three sections. The main section, "Filtering beyond CIPA: Consequences of and Alternatives to Overfiltering in Schools" (Kristen Batch) describes factors that contribute to the overimplementation of CIPA. Internet filtering is a routine practice in public schools and libraries. The Children's Internet…

Prison libraries have traditionally fulfilled many purposes for their incarcerated patrons, and these libraries often carry a diverse collection to serve varied patron needs. However, during the trial of Steven Hayes for the Petit family murders, the prosecution questioned the collection development policies of the institutions where Hayes had…

Support for intellectual freedom, a concept codified in the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics, is one of the core tenets of modern librarianship. According to the most recent interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights, academic librarians are encouraged to incorporate the principles of intellectual freedom…

This research investigated the importance of user-library trust in ensuring vital freedom of inquiry in academic libraries, exploring its strength through comparison with attitudes towards the National Identity Card Scheme (NICS) within the various libraries of a large UK university. An online survey of students and interviews with librarians…

This book examines the ways in which children's librarians can manage their services so collections and programs reach the intended audience. In the introduction to this second edition, the author considers recent changes in demographics, economics, social patterns, media and technology trends, and consequent changing emphases in managing…

Since the Office of Library and Information Services published the first Rhode Island trustees manual in 1980, Rhode Island public libraries have continued to respond to an ever increasing demand for service. In so doing, they consistently have taken advantage of new opportunities to provide this service more efficiently and effectively via…

This document provides guidelines on policymaking for public librarians and public library trustees in Vermont. Topics covered include: (1) the importance of policies in bringing order, logic, stability, and continuity to a library's operation; (2) the roles of trustees and librarians in adopting carrying out policies; (3) reasons why policies…

Comprehensive guidance is offered on the organization, procedures, and responsibilities of public library boards. Individual chapters address the following topics: the legal context for public libraries, organizing the library board, the board and the library staff, the public library and its communities, budgeting for service, public relations,…

Discussion of intellectual freedom, access to information, and public library administration focuses on three main areas: (1) access to minors; (2) access to library services by the poor, including library card registration policies that require a permanent address; and (3) charging fines and fees. Information equality and access to Internet are…

Library board members are an integral part of public libraries. Because of the importance of their role, this handbook gives library trustees in Oklahoma a basic understanding of their responsibilities and power. It contains useful information about developing policy, the board/director relationship, funding, intellectual freedom, library laws,…

This manual advises library administrators in the state of New York on the responsibilities of individual institutions regarding censorship, patron confidentiality, and other intellectual freedom issues. Besides listing organizations available for consultation, the manual recommends procedures and policies for dealing with law enforcement…

Intellectual freedom is a concept fundamental to all libraries. It enables library customers to access a wide variety of materials in numerous formats, and is a concept dear to the hearts and minds of a democratic society. Libraries are often challenged by individuals and groups concerned about the availability of certain materials. The first part…