Defending Intellectual Freedom
LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries
Stemming from an AASL Chapters concern, the 2018 ALA Emerging Leaders team was charged with creating a guide for AASL to support school librarians in addressing challenges related to censorship and patron privacy issues, particularly with LGBTQ+ materials. Defending Intellectual Freedom: LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries is more than a collection of resources. This work uses the AASL Standards framework as scaffolding to help users explore LGBTQ+ materials and needs in their own communities.
Use the accompanying infographic and applied framework to navigate the document more quickly depending on your specific question or need. A valuable tool for professional development, this guide is a great example to any practitioner about how they can use the AASL Standards as a lens to address ANY school library issue!
Click on the links below to download materials.
Resource Guide | Applied Framework | Infographic | YA Flowchart (Completed) | YA Flowchart (Blank)
Complimentary Webinar Archive
Explore the Defending Intellectual Freedom toolkit with the Emerging Leaders who developed it and discover ways to use the guide.
Knowledge Quest Blog Post
Read this blog post from the AASL member guide to this Emerging Leaders team, Rachel Altobelli, about how she used the Defending Intellectual Freedom guide to lead professional development in her district.
Shared Foundations Activity Guides
Also developed by Emerging Leaders teams, explore this collection of guides designed to support school librarians fostering essential skills, mindsets, and practices across the Shared Foundations.
