Category: Office for Intellectual Freedom
Your Guide to Intellectual Freedom and Privacy at ALA Annual 2024
Welcome to your guide to intellectual freedom and privacy at ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition 2024, June 27 – July 2! With censorship on the rise, this year’s conference lineup includes sessions and meetings that tackle these critical issues. This guide is crafted to help you find conference sessions focused on intellectual freedom and privacy.
Why Books Still Matter: New Book of Essays Benefits OIF
Why Books Still Matter, a new book of essays inspired by the late First Amendment champion Joyce Meskis, has been released this month, with proceeds going to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF).
ALA Launches Intellectual Freedom Helpline Program – Grant Applications Open
The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce the launch of its state Intellectual Freedom Helpline program. Over the next two years, ten pilot program sites will operate a confidential reporting system that will help connect those experiencing censorship attempts with professional support, in-state peers, and referral to ALA OIF as appropriate.
ALA Releases Annual Top 10 Most Challenged Books List
It’s National Library Week, which means it’s time for the release of the annual list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023 and the State of America’s Libraries Report, which highlights the ways libraries and library workers have taken action to address community needs with innovative and critical services, as well as the challenges brought on by censorship attempts.
Record Number of Unique Book Titles Challenged in 2023
The number of titles targeted for censorship surged 65 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest levels ever documented by OIF.
Banned Books Week 2023: Programs, Day of Action, and More
Libraries, schools, bookstores, and groups around the world will be calling attention to censorship – and ways to fight it – October 1 – 7, 2023. The American Library Association […]
Prioritizing Intellectual Freedom & Privacy: Your Itinerary for ALA Annual 2023
Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or new to ALA Annual, we encourage you to prioritize the many events focusing on intellectual freedom and library privacy. In an era marked by rising censorship and attempts to limit intellectual freedom, it’s more crucial than ever for library workers to champion these fundamental principles of a healthy democracy.
Texas Federal District Court Orders Censored Books Returned to Library Shelves in Llano County, Texas
Great news from Texas – the federal district court in Austin, Texas has issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Llano County, Texas government and library board to return the books […]
St. Marys City Renews Library Lease
After months of debate, public protest, and letters of support from the Kansas Library Association, OIF, and ACLU of Kansas, the St. Marys City Commission voted to renew the lease for Pottawatomie Wabaunsee Regional Library for another year.
Intellectual Freedom @ LibLearnX
The Intellectual Freedom Round Table, as well as the Office of Intellectual Freedom, are excited for the diverse slate of programs at LibLearnX. A registration link for the conference can be found here (please consider attending!), but the programs we’re most excited for, as you can imagine, deal directly with issues of intellectual freedom.