Libraries throughout the world are increasingly involved in the production of scholarly publications. Much of this has been thanks to the growth of open access (OA) publishing in all its forms, from peer-reviewed "gold" journals to "green" self-archiving, and electronic theses and dissertation (ETD) repositories. As a result, more and more of the…

In the opening sentence of his May 1949 article in this journal, Ward W. Keesecker was on the mark in writing, "What the Supreme Court of the United States has said pertaining to State school administration and how their decisions affect the rights and privileges of individuals are matters of wide interest and concern to school business officials…

This article profiles Rebecca Knuth, winner of the LJ Teaching Award for 2009. The way she plans a class she's teaching illustrates why she was nominated by her students and won the award. The award, which comes with a $5000 honorarium and a celebration at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting, is sponsored by ProQuest. For…

The latest initiative to address mental health needs of the nation, including those of children and youth, is the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (NFC). The NFC formulated a benchmark of six goals and related recommendations toward which the U.S. should strive, including the recommendation that each state develop a…

In his concurring opinion to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision, "Morse v. Frederick," Justice Clarence Thomas argues that the "Tinker" decision, which granted students constitutional rights in public schools, should be overturned on originalist grounds. In this essay, Bryan Warnick, Bradley Rowe, and Sang Hyun Kim make the case that Thomas's…

In this essay, a tribute to Jacques Derrida's educational efforts at expanding access to current work in philosophy, John Willinsky examines his efforts as both a public right and an element of academic freedom that bear on the open access movement today. Willinsky covers Derrida's extension and outreach work with the Groupe de Recherches pour…

After presenting a history of censorship, the paper examines current censorship arising from people who are frightened of ideas counter to their own. The impact of music and book censorship is discussed, and the realities of political correctness are noted. (SM)

This paper examines the origins of the principle of free expression as worked out by Galileo. It is intended to supplement standard histories of the development of free expression and to recover its history as part of the political project of postmodernism. The paper resurrects Galileo's encounters with entrenched beliefs in order to position free…

Discusses the controversy surrounding the removal of Edward W. Bemis from the University of Chicago faculty in 1895. (Author)

Considers what social functions are fulfilled by a collective expression of opinion by an institution on matters of broad national concern. (HS)

States that lawsuits are being filed that challenge anonymity and freedom of speech in cyberspace--is there a right to online anonymity? Examines the debate and issues associated with anonymous communications in cyberspace. Explores the "right of informational privacy" as it pertains to anonymity. Suggests some regulatory approaches for…

Alerts educators to the problem of censorship. Gives specific examples of works that have been challenged. Suggests means for being prepared to meet the censor. Appends a list of the most protested, attacked, or censored books. (RS)

Asserting that the university as a transnational community of professors and students poses challenges to traditional conceptions of academic freedom, explores the rethinking of academic freedom as part of a human right to education. (EV)

Argues that one of the primary roles of any school principal is to act as champion of students' rights of academic and intellectual freedom. Provides five steps that principals can take to preserve intellectual freedom in their schools. (HB)