Intellectual Freedom Handbook, 1999
Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media
Program:
An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
The school library media program plays a unique role in promoting
intellectual freedom. It serves as a point of voluntary access to
information and ideas and as a learning laboratory for students as they
acquire critical thinking and problem solving skills needed in a
pluralistic society. Although the educational level and program of the
school necessarily shape the resources and services of a school library
media program, the principles of the Library Bill of Rights apply
equally to all libraries, including school library media programs.
School library media professionals assume a leadership role in
promoting the principles of intellectual freedom within the school by
providing resources and services that create and sustain an atmosphere
of free inquiry. School library media professionals work closely with
teachers to integrate instructional activities in classroom units
designed to equip students to locate, evaluate, and use a broad range of
ideas effectively.
Through resources, programming, and educational processes, students
and teachers experience the free and robust debate characteristic of a
democratic society. School library media professionals cooperate with
other individuals in building collections of resources appropriate to
the developmental and maturity levels of students. These collections
provide resources which support curriculum and are consistent with the
philosophy, goals, and objectives of the school district. Resources in
school library media collections represent diverse points of view and
current as well as historical issues.
While English is, by history and tradition, the customary language of
the United States, the languages in use in any given community may vary.
Schools serving communities in which other languages are used make
efforts to accommodate the needs of students for whom English is a
second language. To support these efforts, and to ensure equal access to
resources and services, the school library media program provides
resources which reflect the linguistic pluralism of the community.
Members of the school community involved in the collection
development process employ educational criteria to select resources
unfettered by their personal, political, social, or religious views.
Students and educators served by the school library media program have
access to resources and services free of constraints resulting from
personal, partisan, or doctrinal disapproval. School library media
professionals resist efforts by individuals to define what is
appropriate for all students or teachers to read, view, or hear.
Major barriers between students and resources include: imposing age
or grade level restrictions on the use of resources, limiting the use of
interlibrary loan and access to electronic information, charging fees
for information in specific formats, requiring permission from parents
or teachers, establishing restricted shelves or closed collections, and
labeling. Policies, procedures, and rules related to the use of
resources and services support free and open access to information.
The school board adopts policies that guarantee students access to a
broad range of ideas. These include policies on collection development
and procedures for the review of resources about which concerns have
been raised. Such policies, developed by the persons in the school
community, provide for a timely and fair hearing and assure that
procedures are applied equitably to all expressions of concern. School
library media professionals implement district policies and procedures
in the school.
Adopted July 2, 1986; amended January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council
[ISBN 8389-7053-2]
Copyright (c) 1999, American Library Association.
