| Chapter 2: | Framing the question: A review of the relevant literature |
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While individual librarians in their own settings may differ from this intellectual freedom philosophy, it is generally true that professional librarians will fall on the side of open access to information rather than restricting access through artificial means. This may put them in conflict with officials of the local parent institution: library board, city council, university administration, or in the case of school libraries, principal, teachers, and school board.
As in public libraries, most intellectual freedom issues in school libraries in the twentieth century involved challenges to print publications. As stated by Hopkins (1998), “much of the history for schools in the twentieth century looks at one aspect of intellectual freedom: the removal of materials from school libraries as an infringement of the First Amendment’s rights of children” (p. 41). However, soon after she wrote those words, the environment changed. Shirley (2001) states plainly that the question of whether or not to filter Internet access is the most complicated intellectual freedom issue facing school libraries. Leaders in the school library profession are clear in how those challenges should be met. Harriet Selverstone (2001), past President of the American Association of School Librarians and former member of ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, states: