All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association

may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement

granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
presidents usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.

COLUMN

It is our responsibility to teach students and teachers

to access all types of information and to evaluate for
the accuracy found within.

School LibrariesConduit to Equitable Access to Information

Leslie Preddy, 201516 AASL President | lesliepreddy@hotmail.com

O ne of my favorite reads as a young person was a book

I found buried on my moms bookshelf. It was an
old paperback, pages falling out, paper yellowed and
The Importance of Intellectual Freedom
Today
I admit it: I love being a school librarian. We get to
brittle. I didnt ask my mom to borrow the book, but she
bring so much joy and comfort to our patrons. We
wouldnt have expected me to. I just began reading it,
are instrumental in developing students abilities
and it became a ground-breaking read for my youthful
to become independent and autonomous thinkers,
self. Shortly after I began the book my mom noticed me
learners, and doers. Intellectual freedom is a multi-
reading it and told me a story. When she was young this
faceted issue. The American Library Association
book had been banned in her high school. Originally,
defines intellectual freedom as the right of every
it had been published for adults, but with a teen main
individual to both seek and receive information from
character troubled and searching for identity, it quickly
all points of view without restriction (n.d.). A school
was adopted by the younger generation. The copy that I
library is a conduit to equitable access to information.
was reading, the actual copy in my hands, was hidden in
It does not matter the race, creed, color, social strata,
the girls bathroom, and the girls would take bathroom
or country of birth. When our students enter their
breaks throughout the day to sneak in and read the book.
school library and work with their school librarian,
they are all equal in the eyes of equitable access to
Today this book is considered a classic and sometimes
information and intellectual freedom.
even included on required reading lists. What would the
world be like for me if my mom or my community had
The speed at which information is available and
made the decision to restrict me intellectually? What if
is propagated is overwhelming to the average
they made all my reading choices for me? It would have
information consumer. The information available
completely altered who I am, my love of reading, and my
may be accurate, biased, distorted, valid, informative,
thirst for knowledge.
entertainingor sometimes even a combination of
all of the above. Our great hope is to develop literate
citizens who have access to all the information, yet
I admit it: I love being a school can assess and interpret this information. Developing
these skills is a critical role for school librarians.
librarian. We get to bring so much
It is our responsibility to teach students and teachers
joy and comfort to our patrons. to access all types of information and to evaluate
for the accuracy found within. When intellectual

4 Knowledge Quest | Intellectual Freedom


As you advocate for the information and
learning freedoms and needs of others,
advocate for yourself; attend the AASL
17th National Conference & Exhibition.
freedom is jeopardized, when information or
resources are withheld, so is a persons ability to
learn and make thorough decisions. The school is
one of the great strengths of a community, and a
school librarian is the cornerstone for developing
the most well-rounded, literate citizens in a
democratic society. We want to grow people who are
capable of learning for themselves, thinking for
themselves, and communicating their expertise in
an effective and productive manner. This is made
possible through a valued school library program,
collection, library, and librarian who teaches and
upholds these concepts.
The demand for and belief in freedoms is a
pillar in our country. Intellectual freedom and
the expectation of free and equitable access to
information through library resources, training,
and materials are the most important freedoms and
are the backbone of our ability to be independent
thinkers and creators of ideas, evidence, and
innovations.
A ASL 17th National Conference
Developing powerfully literate citizens requires time
to reflect on the myriad issues that are impacting
school libraries and schools today. You deserve
the chance to rejuvenate your soul and recharge
your professional practice through the greatest
professional development opportunity for school
librarians, the A ASL 17th National Conference &
Exhibition held in Americas heartland in Columbus,
Ohio.
The conference includes over 100 general sessions, a
best-practice showcase (IdeaLab), an exhibition hall
with a makerspace, preconference workshops, school
and educational tours, authors, and networking
opportunities. Cutting-edge learning will focus on
intellectual freedom, STEM/STEAM, Common
Core, inquiry learning, digital tools and learning,
and so much more.
All materials in this journal subject to copyright by the American Library Association
may be used for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement
granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Address
usage requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions.
In addition, some of the greatest vendors of library
resources and materials will be at this conference. It also
provides multiple opportunities to network with other
professionals and learn what others are doing around
the country to solve problems, encourage intellectual
freedom, inspire learning, develop programming,
promote reading, and help students become the best
people possible.
Bring an administrator along with youthey receive
complimentary registration with a school librarian.
Allow your administrator to engage in the programming
and discussions that are powerfully meaningful to a
school administrator of the twenty-first century.
As Deb Logan and Kathy Lowe, conference co-chairs,
said, Be the connection between evolution and
revolution. We are not passive in this changing
system. We are advocates for students, teachers, and
learning. As you advocate for the information and
learning freedoms and needs of others, advocate for
yourself; attend the A ASL 17th National Conference &
Exhibition.
See you there!
Leslie Preddy has been the school librarian at Perry Meridian
Middle School in Indianapolis, Indiana, since 1992, and has served as
an adjunct professor for Indiana University, Indiana State University,
and IUPUI. She has presented webinars for edWeb, the Indiana
Department of Education, and the American Library Association.
She is a frequent speaker and consultant at local, state, national,
and international education conferences and events. Leslie is a past
recipient of AASLs Collaborative School Library Media Award and
School Library Media Program of the Year Award and ALAs Sara
Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exemplary Humanities
Programming. She is the president of AASL and is a past president for
the Association of Indiana School Library Educators. Her books include
SSR with Intervention: A School Library Action Research
Project and Social Readers: Promoting Reading in the 21st
Century. Her latest book is School Library Makerspaces.
Work Cited:
American Library Association. n.d. What Is Intellectual
Freedom? <www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/
censorshipfirstamendmentissues/ifcensorshipqanda>
(accessed June 19, 2015).
Volume 44, No. 1 | September/October 2015 5
Copyright of Knowledge Quest is the property of American Library Association and its
content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the
copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email
articles for individual use.