Publisher's Synopsis
Intellectual freedom is one of the guarantees of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution...
...Thanks to their role as guardians of information, librarians are tasked with ensuring the benefits of intellectual freedom. The very differences in library patrons who come from varying backgrounds and with diverse tastes presents the dilemma: What one person considers enlightening and informative, another may consider immoral and offensive. Librarians are often caught in the middle.
How well librarians respond to censorship challenges will depend in large part on the planning and policy making that has gone on beforehand. Clear, precise library policies are the best approach to balancing conflicting interests.
Libraries, Access, and Intellectual Freedom is a comprehensive guide to the key intellectual freedom "hot buttons" and the legal issues involved. This unique book offers a practical approach to developing, promoting, and implementing intellectual freedom policies that work.
The success of intellectual freedom policies often hinges on how well librarians combine local community dynamics with national perspectives and legal and political realities. Librarian and intellectual freedom activist Barbara M. Jones explains the major intellectual freedom issues, including access to computer networks, requests from government agencies for circulation records, and the effects of federal, state, and local laws on policy making. She describes how to develop intellectual freedom policies that incorporate legal decisions and are clear and acceptable to users.
When used in conjunction with the Intellectual Freedom Manual, Fifth Edition, Libraries, Access, and Intellectual Freedom provides the necessary tools to promote and protect intellectual freedom in the library.
