65 Years counting: AASL and school librarians - still champions of intellectual freedom

The American Association of School Librarians and its members have always been champions of intellectual freedom. It is a core value of school librarians and has been -- and remains -- an integral part of AASL's culture. Intellectual freedom is deeply embedded in AASL's standards, position statements, member-focused publications, conferences, award criteria, and leaders. You can trace the deep roots of intellectual freedom in AASL in figure 1. AASL's efforts in the area of intellectual freedom and privacy are just half the story. Although AASL and the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom provide guidance and support, it is school librarians who confront threats to students' right to read or their privacy. The Internet provides access to a wealth of educational content, primary sources, and connections to experts, but fear-based misinterpretation of the Children's Internet Protection Act and overly restrictive filtering have reduced the resource to a shadow of its potential for student learning.