Chapter 6: Intellectual Freedom, Free Speech, and Censorship
Chapter Outline
Introduction: Free Societies and Something to Offend Everyone
Definition, Foundations, and Guiding Principles of Intellectual Freedom and Free Speech
ALA Positions on Intellectual Freedom
Censorship
ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom
Book Challenges, Removals, and Bans: A Florida Case Study
Self-Censorship/Internal Censorship
Collection Development and Selection
Sanitization and Bowdlerization
Strategies for Championing Intellectual Freedom and Confronting Censorship
Ongoing IF and Censorship Battles
Seeing Oneself, Seeing the Other
Review Questions
- Define “intellectual freedom” and explain how it is connected to freedom of expression.
- What role does subjectivity play in the concepts and practices surrounding intellectual freedom, freedom of speech, and censorship?
- Explain the commonalities and differences between selection and censorship in relation to collection development.
To deepen your understanding of the materials discussed in this chapter, be sure to spend some time reviewing the Questions for Reflection, Exploration, Action, Discussion (READ) on page 149.
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