Intellectual Freedom and Privacy

A Core Value of Librarianship

Author _ Emily J. M. Knox (knox@illinois.edu), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In January of 2024, the American Library Association Council approved an updated list of core values for the profession. These streamlined values are access, equity, intellectual freedom and privacy, public good, and sustainability. The new values have been met with criticism from some members of the community, including from ten past-ALA presidents who “advise that we take a step back, and re-evaluate the recent replacement of ‘our enduring values’” (Statement from 10 ALA Past Presidents Re ALA Core Values 2024). (Full disclosure: I was a member of the Core values task force). The ALA Council will appoint working groups to expand the basic descriptions of each value this year.

Intellectual Freedom and Privacy is defined in the core values statement as follows:

Intellectual freedom empowers people to think for themselves and to make informed decisions while respecting each individual’s dignity and independence. Library workers encourage people to cultivate curiosity and form ideas by questioning the world and accessing information from diverse viewpoints and formats without restrictions or censorship. The right to privacy is a crucial safeguard to this freedom, ensuring everyone has the right to develop their thoughts and opinions free of surveillance. (Core Values of Librarianship 2024).

This journal will continue to explore this value as a forum for research, commentary, and news.

The current issue includes commentaries that discuss Florida’s so-called curriculum transparency law, which went into effect in July 22; a discussion of predatory open-access journals; and an overview of possible areas of collaboration between the American Correctional Association and the American Library Association. There are also three peer-reviewed articles. The first focuses on a small survey of librarians who shared their impressions on the current book challenge crisis and its relationship to young people’s First Amendment Rights. The second research article is a comprehensive analysis of how IT professionals in libraries protect patron privacy. Finally, the last article continues the journal’s exploration of censorship in carceral institutions through a model of restriction across four dimensions.

Submissions to the journal are always welcome!

References

“Core Values of Librarianship.” 2024. American Library Association Council, January, https://www.ala.org/advocacy/advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues.

“Statement from 10 ALA Past Presidents Re ALA Core Values.” 2024. Post, ALA Council discussion group, April 30. https://connect.ala.org/discussion/statement-from-10-ala-past-presidents-re-ala-core-values.