Intellectual Freedom Committee

The mission of the Intellectual Freedom Committee is to promote awareness of intellectual freedom issues, and to provide support to the Massachusetts library community in upholding the principles of intellectual freedom.

• Intellectual Freedom in the News
• Intellectual Freedom Resources
• Internet Safety
• Massachusetts Library Association Statements
• American Library Association Statements
• Contact the Massachusetts Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee

Law for Librarians:  Resources

The resources found in this file are a compilation of the materials presented at Law for Librarians, an intensive three-day workshop attended by librarians from each state in the country in April 2006.    The training focused on the “legal basis of libraries’ intellectual freedom principles.”  It included “up-to-date information on state and federal statues, pertinent case law, policy development and implementation, and good practices.”

Funding for Law for Librarians was provided in-part by a grant from the Ford Foundation and co-sponsored by the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the ALA’s Chapter Relations Office.  Permission to use the resources within this file is given by the authors and compilers.

Intellectual Freedom in the News

• DOPA Information Packet: A Resource for Librarians and Library Workers
• YALSA DOPA/Social Networking Update
• ALA Intellectual Freedom Issues
• Intellectual Freedom and other library issues in the news

Intellectual Freedom Resources

• Ohio Library Council: Community Connections toolkit
• Colorado Associations of Libraries: Intellectual Freedom Committee
• Coping with Challenges: Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
• The Censor: Motives and Tactics
• Policy Concerning Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information about Library Users
• Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
• The COPA Commission Report (released 10/20/2000)
• Policy Collection from the Massachusetts Regional Library System
• Massachusetts Library Association's Internet Filtering Statement
• Massachusetts Library Association Testimony

Internet Safety

• Libraries and the Internet Toolkit
• CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act)
• Information on Filtering

Committee Charge:

Intellectual Freedom

*Develops programming for annual conference.

*Develops, proposes and implements a process for MLA participation in national events and days such as Freedom of Information Day and Banned Books week.

*Represents MLA on issues of intellectual freedom.

*Provides assistance and/or information to librarians who have issues or questions about intellectual freedom situations

*Keep members informed of important intellectual freedom issues through newsletter articles and blog.

*Selects and prepares information dealing with intellectual freedom issues for addition to the MLA web site.

*Develops an intellectual freedom award for presentation to an individual who has protected intellectual freedom.

Committee Chair:

Louis Battalen Arms Library Main & Bridge St. Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 Phone: (413) 625-0306 Email: arms@cwmars.org

Meeting Schedule:
All meetings take place at CMRLS in Shrewsbury.

Monday, March 19, 2007: 10:00-Noon

Monday, April 23, 2007: 10:00-Noon

Monday, June 18, 2007: 10:00-Noon

Check out the MLA calendar of events for the next Intellectual Freedom Committee meeting.

 

Return to the list of MLA Sections and Committees

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