This document discusses intellectual freedom in school libraries. It addresses issues that school libraries face regarding how much information to provide students, labeling materials, protecting student privacy, and balancing student and First Amendment rights. The document provides examples of these issues and recommends resources on intellectual freedom, censorship, filtering, and digital citizenship to help illustrate lessons. It concludes by providing contact information for two librarians to address any questions.
1. Inside the
schoolhouse gate
Intellectual Freedom in school libraries
Maryland Library Association/Delaware Library Association
May 8, 2012
Mary S. Tise
Cab Calloway School of the Arts
(302) 651-2700 x278
mary.tise@redclay.k12.de.us
2. How To Vote via Texting
1. Standard texting rates only (worst case US $0.20)
TIPS 2. We have no access to your phone number
3. Capitalization doesn’t matter, but spaces and spelling do
22. Web Resources
• AASL Essential Links: Intellectual Freedom
(http://aasl.ala.org/essentiallinks/index.php?title=Intellectu
al_Freedom)
(see also: Censorship, Filtering and Ethical Issues)
• Intellectual Freedom for Youth
(http://www.pbs.org/teachers/librarymedia/aasl/lamb.pdf)
• NCTE Anti-Censorship Center
(http://www.ncte.org/action/anti-censorship)
23. Questions?
Ann C. Reed Mary S. Tise
Frederick Douglass Library Cab Calloway School of the
University of Maryland Eastern Arts
Shore 100 N. Dupont Road
Princess Anne, MD 20853 Wilmington, DE 19807
acreed@umes.edu mary.tise@redclay.k12.de.us
(410) 651-7937 (302) 651-2700 x278
Notas do Editor
This slide is for display to the audience to show them how they will vote on your polls in your presentation. You can remove this slide if you like or if the audience is already comfortable with texting and/or voting with Poll Everywhere.Sample Oral Instructions:Ladies and gentlemen, throughout today’s meeting we’re going to engage in some audience polling to find out what you’re thinking, what you’re up to and what you know. Now I’m going to ask for your opinion. We’re going to use your phones to do some audience voting just like on American Idol.So please take out your cell phones, but remember to leave them on silent. You can participate by sending a text message.This is a just standard rate text message, so it may be free for you, or up to twenty cents on some carriers if you do not have a text messaging plan. The service we are using is serious about privacy. I cannot see your phone numbers, and you’ll never receive follow-up text messages outside this presentation. There’s only one thing worse than email spam – and that’s text message spam because you have to pay to receive it!Additional notes from PollEverywhere:Explain what’s going on“Now I’m going to ask for your opinion. You’ll use your phones to respond just like on American Idol. So please take out your cell phones, but remember to leave them on silent.”“You’ll participate by sending a text message. If you don’t know how to do that, just ask your kids! Or have your neighbor help you figure it out.”Address their concerns“This is a just standard rate text message, so it may be free for you, or up to twenty cents on some carriers if you do not have a text messaging plan.”“The service we are using is serious about privacy. We cannot see your phone numbers, and you’ll never receive follow-up text messages outside this presentation. There’s only one thing worse than email spam – and that’s text message spam because you have to pay to receive it!”Use a demo or practice pollFor example, a Free Text Poll like “Let’s Practice: Text in your first name!”Always test your polls in your presentation before your event using the computer that will be projecting your presentation, especially if that computer is not the one you’re currently using.
Press F5 or enter presentation mode to view the poll\r\nIn an emergency during your presentation, if the poll isn't showing, navigate to this link in your web browser:\r\nhttp://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/MjAzMjc5Nzc2MwIf you like, you can use this slide as a template for your own voting slides. You might use a slide like this if you feel your audience would benefit from the picture showing a text message on a phone.
Press F5 or enter presentation mode to view the poll\r\nIn an emergency during your presentation, if the poll isn't showing, navigate to this link in your web browser:\r\nhttp://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTE3NjU2Nzg0NzMIf you like, you can use this slide as a template for your own voting slides. You might use a slide like this if you feel your audience would benefit from the picture showing a text message on a phone.
Press F5 or enter presentation mode to view the poll\r\nIn an emergency during your presentation, if the poll isn't showing, navigate to this link in your web browser:\r\nhttp://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTE1ODQyMzU1NjEIf you like, you can use this slide as a template for your own voting slides. You might use a slide like this if you feel your audience would benefit from the picture showing a text message on a phone.
Press F5 or enter presentation mode to view the poll\r\nIn an emergency during your presentation, if the poll isn't showing, navigate to this link in your web browser:\r\nhttp://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTc3NDkwMjA1MwIf you like, you can use this slide as a template for your own voting slides. You might use a slide like this if you feel your audience would benefit from the picture showing a text message on a phone.
Press F5 or enter presentation mode to view the poll\r\nIn an emergency during your presentation, if the poll isn't showing, navigate to this link in your web browser:\r\nhttp://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/ODM0NTkwNzUzIf you like, you can use this slide as a template for your own voting slides. You might use a slide like this if you feel your audience would benefit from the picture showing a text message on a phone.
School environments imply limitations on free expression…“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.” (Pat Scales, IF Manual, 8th edition, ALA: http://www.ifmanual.org/slmcif)Distinctions between objections to books being taught/discussed in a classroom setting v. books in the school libraryHunger Games parent objection (Selbyville, DE) to content and how book is being presented in classroom (Per email from Peggy Dillner, school librarian contacted friend in public library)Parent referenced review from “Focus on the Family” website: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/protecting_your_family/book-reviews/h/hunger-games.aspxSelf-censorship v. selectionProfanity in YA literature
Genre labelsAccuracy with books/music crossing several genres? Segregating materials into genre ghettos..Accelerated Reader(Trasncript from Reading Rockets interview with Judy Blume: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/blume/transcript/) Judy has strong feelings about Accelerated ReaderI love it when I hear from teachers that they've read the Fudge books aloud to their kids and how this has started kids on the path to wanting to read. "I want more funny books. Who else writes funny books like this?" There are certainly many, many, many wonderful books to recommend. I love to hear that they can use a book like Blubber or another one of my books in the classroom and that this works. Or guide a child who may be in need of a book about a certain subject to that book.What I don't like and what I really don't like — intensely hate, you could say — is the Accelerated Reader program, even though many of my books are in that program, because they rate books, not on emotional content or emotional readiness. They're rated by machine — how many words in a sentence, how long is a paragraph. Nothing to do with character, nothing to do with subject and again, nothing to do with emotional readiness. So that a book like Then Again, Maybe I Won't may have fourth reading level. I get letters from angry parents who say, "My child read your book in Accelerated Reader," and that's a terrible thing."He wasn't ready. He's reading on a fourth grade level, but he's only in second grade." Well, what do I say? I try to explain this and I encourage the parent to go to the school and explain why Accelerated Reader doesn't work. It's an easy way for a teacher to run a reading program. It's not the way I think, it's not the way that I would hope that a teacher would run a reading program. Don't take the easy way out, I would say to teachers.Another thing that I think is that kids shouldn't be penalized for reading a book that's rated younger then what their reading level is supposed to be, nor should they be prevented from reading way beyond. They should be encouraged to just read and if they're reading a picture book and they're in fifth grade because they really want to read this picture book or it's funny, why not?What's wrong with that? They will read more widely if we allow them to and we encourage them to and we don't reward them for how many books they've read, so that they'll read more books that are short than one book that's long, that's not what it's about.Movie 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)” (Pat Scales, IF Manual, 8th edition, ALA: http://www.ifmanual.org/slmcif)
Privacy of library records School administrators checking on students, homeroom teachers—overdue notices, student aides at checkout desk“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.” (Pat Scales, IF Manual, 8th edition, ALA: http://www.ifmanual.org/slmcif)Filtering in schools…In Delaware, public school access to most social networks (Facebook), gaming sites, YouTube, streaming (Pandora) is blocked. Kindergartners and high school seniors face the same blocks.“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” (Pat Scales, IF Manual, 8th edition, ALA: http://www.ifmanual.org/slmcif)Online privacy. Cyberbullying (happens off campus, effects felt on campus)Difficult for schools to teach when access to popular social networks is blocked in school.Online civility (Emma Sullivan tweet)
A. Tucscon, Arizona: Mexican American Studies Department: banned/boxed 50 books because MAS program “was in violation of the ethnic studies law in Arizona that says a program may not-Promote the overthrow of the US governmentPromote resentment to a race or class of peopleBeing designed primarily for one ethnic groupAdvocating ethnic solidarity instead of treating pupils as individuals”For more information, see NPR’s “Tell Me More” story: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/18/145397005/mexican-american-studies-bad-ban-or-bad-classLA Times article (includes link to Comedy Central “Daily Show” segment): http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-tucson-school-board-daily-show-20120404,0,5593283.storyHuffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emily-lutenski/tucson-mas_b_1347443.htmlShawnee Mission, Kansas: Emma Sullivan’s “Youth in Government” trip to Topeka, tweets Governor Brownback “sucked”.See story from Politico: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/69196.htmlSee columnist Ruth Marcus: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/emma-sullivans-potty-mouthed-tweet-has-a-lesson-for-all-of-us/2011/11/29/gIQAG6CEAO_story.html“Five Social Media Lessons to learn from Emma Sullivan” Teen Vogue (November 21, 2011): http://www.teenvogue.com/connect/2011/12/emma-sullivan-twitter-controversy
Case study: Emma Sullivan’t tweet to Governor Brownback (R-Kansas)November 21, 2011To recap, Sullivan, an 18-year-old senior at Shawnee Mission East High School, was on a school-sponsored Kansas Youth in Government trip to Topeka when she heard the conservative Republican governor speak. Sullivan did not actually give Brownback a piece of her mind, as she claimed, but she let her feelings be known via Twitter: “Just made mean comments at govbrownback and told him he sucked, in person. #heblowsalot.” Sullivan had previously opined on such weighty subjects as the “Twilight” series (“Dear edward and jacob, this is the best night of my life. I want u. Love, ur future wife”) and Justin Bieber.Sullivan’s foray into political commentary caught the eye of Brownback’s office, which was not amused. The Mission East principal called Sullivan to his office to demand that she write a letter of apology.From Teen Vogue (“Five social media lessons to learn from Emma Sullivan”, December? 2011)Remember that tweets are searchable.Emma didn't tag Governor Brownback's Twitter account in her tweet, but his communications office was still able to track the mention through conducting a simple search. "Remember that tweets, posts and photos aren't locked away in a vault," says Emily Banks, the deputy editor of social media news blog Mashable.com "They're public and searchable, and they're even more likely to be seen when they include another person's name or handle."If your Twitter account is public, your posts are widely accessible even if you only have a handful of followers. If you keep your Twitter private, your followers can still quote your tweets and post them to their own public accounts. "Twitter is a much more public space than Facebook," says Sarah Milstein, the author of The Twitter Book (O'Reilly Media). "There are millions and millions of tweets sent a day. It's a quirk when one of them gets pulled out for some reason and paid a lot of attention to, but it's the nature of the system."Be professional.A quick search of Emma's name by any future employer or college admissions officer would reveal the comment "he blows a lot." Your public Twitter profile and online history are as much a part of your job or school application as your transcript and resume. "It's important that your online presence is positive and professional," says Banks. "That online presence can live forever and be searchable by employers, family, and potential partners." If you want to voice your opinion, try to express yourself in way that's critical but not crass.Know your audience. Would you say your tweet out loud?In real life, you monitor your interactions with your friends, family, and coworkers for appropriateness, and the same should be done on Twitter. "I would certainly hope that Emma would have been able to say something critical of the governor in school," says Milstein. "She may not have used that language in a classroom, but she would have used it with friends and that would have been totally appropriate—and that's how she used Twitter at the time. In your day-to-day life, you have a bunch of ways that you talk with people, and Twitter mirrors that."Keep in mind that deleted tweets are still permanent.We've all been there: right as you press the send button, you spot a typo or have a pang of regret. You immediately press delete, but it's too late. "Even though you can delete a tweet, other people could have made screenshots and records of it," says Milstein. "There's almost always ways to recover things that have been deleted. You should just assume that anything that you've created is going to be available to other people in perpetuity."Use Twitter to set the record straight."If you feel that you've made a mistake or been misunderstood, you can use the same tools to go back and try to set the record straight," says Milstein. Six days after her divisive tweet, Emma did just that. "I've decided not to write the letter but I hope this opens the door for average citizens to voice their opinion & to be heard! #goingstrong," she tweeted. Emma is moving forward with her life, but for many years to come, a Google search of her name will still call up her Twitter controversy. It's a big digital footprint to leave behind in 140 characters or less.Read More http://www.teenvogue.com/connect/2011/12/emma-sullivan-twitter-controversy#ixzz1sbBxlyKS
iSafe.org:From the iSafe website: “Founded in 1998 and supported by the U.S. Congress and various executive agencies of the U.S. government, i-SAFE is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and empowering youth (and others) to safely, responsibly and productively use Information and Communications Technologies (ICT).”“i-SAFE Inc. is the leader in Internet safety education. Available in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Department of Defense schools located across the world, i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to educate and empower youth to make their Internet experiences safe and responsible. The goal is to educate students on how to avoid dangerous, inappropriate, or unlawful online behavior. i-SAFE accomplishes this through dynamic K-12 curriculum and community outreach programs to parents, law enforcement, and community leaders. It is the only Internet safety foundation to combine these elements.”Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org)--now includes content from CyberSmart and eRate lessonsFrom the website:Our MissionCommon Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.We exist because our nation's children spend more time with media and digital activities than they do with their families or in school, which profoundly impacts their social, emotional, and physical development . As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume.Our 10 BeliefsWe believe in media sanity, not censorship.We believe that media has truly become "the other parent" in our kids' lives, powerfully affecting their mental, physical, and social development.We believe in teaching our kids to be savvy, respectful and responsible media interpreters, creators, and communicators. We can’t cover their eyes but we can teach them to see.We believe parents should have a choice and a voice about the media our kids consume and create. Every family is different but all need information.We believe that the price for free and open media is a bit of extra homework for families. Parents need to know about the media their kids use and need to teach responsible, ethical behavior as well as manage overall media use.We believe that through informed decision making, we can improve the media landscape one decision at a time.We believe appropriate regulations about right time, right place, and right manner exist. They need to be upheld by our elected and appointed leaders.We believe in age-appropriate media and that the media industry needs to act responsibly as it creates and markets content for each audience.We believe ratings systems should be independent and transparent for all media.We believe in diversity of programming and media ownership.Digital Citizenship (http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/) Digizen (http://www.digizen.org/)--Australian company. Lesson plans, videos, Digizen game (Cyberbullying)A Thin Line (http://www.athinline.org/)--MTV sponsored. Includes video clips, interactive quizzes, surveys…From the website: “The Web and cell phones help us communicate, connect and learn in ways we never could before, but they've also forever changed how we interact with others. Things we used to share in person – and in private – can now be broadcast to thousands, instantly. Sometimes we type things we would never say to someone's face. As a result, new issues like forced sexting, textual harassment and cyberbullyiing have emerged, which now affect a majority of young people in the U.S.MTV's A Thin Line campaign was developed to empower you to identify, respond to, and stop the spread of digital abuse in your life and amongst your peers. The campaign is built on the understanding that there's a "thin line" between what may begin as a harmless joke and something that could end up having a serious impact on you or someone else. We know no generation has ever had to deal with this, so we want to partner with you to help figure it out. On-air, online and on your cell, we hope to spark a conversation and deliver information that helps you draw your own digital line.”
Banned books reading (ALA lists): http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/banned/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/2011banned.pdfBooks that address technology, privacy issues, e.g. Little Brother, Cory DoctorowSchool Library Journal: /* Starred Review */ Gr 10 Up— When he ditches school one Friday morning, 17-year-old Marcus is hoping to get a head start on the Harajuku Fun Madness clue. But after a terrorist attack in San Francisco, he and his friends are swept up in the extralegal world of the Department of Homeland Security. After questioning that includes physical torture and psychological stress, Marcus is released, a marked man in a much darker San Francisco: a city of constant surveillance and civil-liberty forfeiture. Encouraging hackers from around the city, Marcus fights against the system while falling for one hacker in particular. Doctorow rapidly confronts issues, from civil liberties to cryptology to social justice. While his political bias is obvious, he does try to depict opposing viewpoints fairly. Those who have embraced the legislative developments since 9/11 may be horrified by his harsh take on Homeland Security, Guantánamo Bay, and the PATRIOT Act. Politics aside, Marcus is a wonderfully developed character: hyperaware of his surroundings, trying to redress past wrongs, and rebelling against authority. Teen espionage fans will appreciate the numerous gadgets made from everyday materials. One afterword by a noted cryptologist and another from an infamous hacker further reflect Doctorow's principles, and a bibliography has resources for teens interested in intellectual freedom, information access, and technology enhancements. Curious readers will also be able to visit BoingBoing, an eclectic group blog that Doctorow coedits. Raising pertinent questions and fostering discussion, this techno-thriller is an outstanding first purchase.—Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library --Chris Shoemaker (Reviewed May 1, 2008) (School Library Journal, vol 54, issue 5, p121) Feed, M. T. AndersonSchool Library Journal: Gr 8 Up –For Titus and his teenaged friends, having transmitters implanted in their heads is as normal as going to the moon or Mars on vacation or as common as the lesions that have begun to appear on their bodies. Everyone's "feed" tells them everything they need to know–there's no need to read or write. All purchases are deducted from the credit account that's part of the feed. Talking out loud is rare because everyone "chats" over the feednets. Then Titus and his friends meet a girl named Violet at a party on the moon, and a hacker attacks them and damages their feeds. Everyone is OK except for Violet, who is told in secret that hers is so damaged that she is going to die. Unlike other teens, she is homeschooled and cares about world events. She's not afraid to question things and is determined to fight the feed. Anderson gives his characters a unique language that teens will relate to, but much of it is raw and crude. Young people will also appreciate the consumeristic lifestyle and television shows that are satirized in the book. Violet and her father are the only truly sympathetic characters. The other teens are portrayed as thoughtless, selfish, and not always likable. Only Titus learns anything from his mistakes and tries to be a little less self-centered. A gripping, intriguing, and unique cautionary novel.–Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ --Sharon Rawlins (Reviewed September 1, 2002) (School Library Journal, vol 48, issue 9, p219)Brave New World, Aldous HuxleyHuxley's classic prophetic novel describes the socialized horrors of a futuristic utopia devoid of individual freedom.Envy, Gregg OlsenSchool Library Journal: Gr 7 – 10 — Found electrocuted in the bathtub, Katelyn Berkley, 15, who had a history of cutting, appears to have committed suicide. But from chapter one of this thriller there are suggestions that someone else was involved in her death. Hayley and Taylor Ryan, who, along with Katelyn, were the only children to survive a tragic bus crash years earlier, may be the only ones who can uncover the truth. The twins possess a kind of supernatural insight, allowing them to receive messages from the dead via dreams, visions, and Scrabble letters. What emerges is a picture of a lonely girl, a vengeful neighbor, and a fake online boyfriend. An author's note explains that the events in the book were inspired by one of the earliest cases connecting cyberbullying to teen suicide. This book's timeliness will give it relevance and appeal to teens who themselves regularly experience social ups and downs online. The author is master of the short, dramatic sentence, at times overusing it in service of the book's taut, suspenseful mood. With its punchy prose, pop-culture references, and steady stream of unraveling clues, this book has potential for reluctant readers. Give it to teens with a macabre bent, who won't be turned off by a few genre clichés.—Emma Burkhart, Springside School, Philadelphia, PA --Emma Burkhart (Reviewed October 1, 2011) (School Library Journal, vol 57, issue 10, p144)
Teen Tech Week (March 4-10, 2012) http://teentechweek.ning.com/Support Teen Literature Day (April 12, 2012)Children’s Day/Book Day (April 30, 2012)Choose Privacy Week (May1-7, 2012): http://www.privacyrevolution.org/Banned Books Week (September 30-October 6, 2011): http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/bannedbooksweekBanned Websites Awareness Day (October 3, 2012)Teen Read Week (October 14-20, 2012)National Gaming Day (November 10, 2012)Library displaysLetters to the editor“First Amendment” film festivalReadingsContests (poster, video, CraftsProclamations
BeSeen (www.playbeseen.com)From the website: “BeSeen is provided by Carnegie Mellon University and Web Wise Kids to teach youth how to be responsible in social networks by securing their private and personal information, protecting their online reputation and defending their peers. This online safety mobile application is a single-player game that simulates a social networking website. The player creates a profile and starts earning “friend” characters and interacting with them. They learn about others through their posts and help them through challenges in order to win awards and make new friends.In BeSeen, the ultimate quest is to make friends. At first, that is a matter of getting involved in school activities, but as more friends join a social circle, they bring their problems with them. To keep friends and make more, it’s important not only to be involved but to be a good friend. Who is up for the challenge?”Digizen game (http://www.digizen.org/resources/digizen-game.aspx)From the website: “This game follows on from the cyberbullying film Let's Fight It Together to personalise and reinforce learning from that film. This game allows you to log on to a computer and create your own character that goes into the same school where cyberbullying has taken place.You have the opportunity to experience a day at school with Joe, the main character, and make decisions about how to help him as he experiences cyberbullying. You are challenged to be a responsible digital citizen and find out more about keeping safe online.”
