Intellectual Freedom | Copyright
"A must-have for anyone in the library and information settings and could also be quite a useful guide for those working in primary and higher education."
— Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship
This easy-to-use workbook is packed with practical, hands-on exercises to guide you towards creating a more privacy-focused library.
"A relatively quick read that will help any librarian make a case for why book challenges are so important to address proactively."
— School Library Journal (starred review)
OIF’s Intellectual Freedom Manual provides trusted, comprehensive guidance for every library worker, from the volunteer to the director, in plain language. Whether you’re developing or reviewing policies, on-boarding new staff or trustees, responding to challenges and controversies, or studying librarianship, you’ll find this a vital tool, with features such as
- contributions that center the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQIA+ people, who are often targeted by censorship efforts;
- chapters that begin with an overview explaining the big ideas and offering reflection questions;
- an introduction to IF and why it matters, drawing on ALA's core IF documents and supported with adaptable policy worksheets;
- information and best practice guidance on key topics such as access, children and youth, censorship and internet filtering, collection development and management, copyright, meeting rooms and exhibit spaces, library programming, politics and religion, privacy, and visits and requests from law enforcement;
- stories from those whose lives have been impacted by IF, showing how library policies shape culture, protect staff and users, and affect real people;
- concise breakdowns of IF issues from legal experts, helping you understand the laws and how they apply in real situations;
- practical advice on advocating for IF, getting help when challenges arise, lobbying, and working with your elected officials;
- a thorough index to help you quickly find the information you need; and
- a helpful glossary and selected bibliography of additional resources.
This book will be useful reading for all archivists and records managers; LIS professionals in libraries, museums and galleries; and students, researchers and genealogists.
"The writing is clear, informative, engaging, and professional. This is one book on copyright that users may want to read through cover-to-cover, not just consult.”
— Booklist
"The text and the references give readers a strong grounding in theories of intellectual freedom to make decisions for themselves.”
— College & Research Libraries
"A very clear, useful, practical, and even a motivational book ... The book can help guide in real life situations and also help guide librarians in crafting well-informed intellectual freedom policies."
— Intellectual Freedom Blog
"Offers a comprehensive approach to this very touchy subject ... [It's] a must buy for every library facing this climate of endless data used in the functioning of the organization."
— Journal of Hospital Librarianship
"The text’s 'here and now' focus on police brutality, peaceful protest, and the extreme views plaguing society, mirror current concerns, as does its roots in the very tenants that form librarianship, free thinking, and intellectual freedom."
— DttP: Documents to the People
