OASL INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM POLICY STATEMENT

OASL supports the American Association of School Librarians' statement of intellectual freedom and to that end endorses the following principle and seven goals:

OASL/AASL will promote efforts to ensure that every student has intellectual access to information and a broad range of ideas in an atmosphere of free inquiry and confidentiality.

1. Each school uses a collection development plan, which includes the district selection policy, that is developed with wide participation from the school and community.

2. All schools develop, adopt, and follow clearly defined procedures for handling complaints and requests for reconsideration of materials in library media collections.

3. All students have equal access to accurate, appropriate, and current resources within the school as well as the community at large.

4. Library media resources and services are available to students in an environment that promotes inquiry, creativity, self-direction, communication, and the ability to think critically and make reading choices.

5. All students are guaranteed access to information and ideas regardless of the format or viewpoint of the presentation. All schools should have a selection policy adopted by the school board that incorporates the principles of the American Library Association "Library Bill of Rights" and its interpretations for schools by AASL.

6. The school community, as well as parents and the general public, understand the importance of intellectual freedom and are committed to protecting the integrity of the library media collection.

7. OASL, the OLA Intellectual Freedom Committee, and the Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse at the Oregon State Library work together to support groups and individuals facing censorship issues and attempts to restrict students' access to information and ideas.

adopted by OASL Board of Directors October 8, 1992

TO REPORT A CHALLENGE:

Have you had a book or other library material challenged at your Oregon school library? Please let the OASL Intellectual Freedom Chair know about it. We may be able to give you some help and support!

Contact:

Marie Felgentrager
[email protected]
Intellectual Freedom Representative, OASL

RESOURCES:

• ALA Intellectual Freedom Basics

• ALA Dealing with Challenges to Books and Other Library Materials

• Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse, a service of the State Library of Oregon, collects and reports on information about challenges that have occurred in Oregon.

• OLA Intellectual Freedom Toolkit

For more resources, visit the web pages of the Oregon Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee.