The Missouri Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee is the recipient of the 2023 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. A.R. Dykes Librarian Casey Phillips has been an integral MLA-IFC member for three years and currently chairs the committee.
Casey was kind enough to discuss her work on the committee for this inaugural blog post.
Rachelle Brandel, Colleen Norman, Cindy Hohl, 2024 Chair Casey Phillips, Sarah Whalen, & Joe Kohlburn at MLA’s 2023 Pre-Conference Training. Past and current members not pictured: Kris Dyer, Otter Bowman, Kimberly Moeller, & Krystal Smith. (Photo courtesy Missouri Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee.)
Hi Casey. Thank you for your willingness to discuss this issue and your work on it. When did you get involved with the IFC? How did the committee originate?
I joined in April of 2021 – before things become hectic with the state and local school boards.
I do not know the origination of the committee, but it has been around for at least 7 years, but probably longer. We usually have around 10 members that are library staff or librarians in good standing.
What is the general charge of the committee? Its purpose?
Our duties are to:
- Monitor legislation and other efforts that affect first amendment rights to libraries, librarians, and their clientele.
- Support and implement the MLA Statement on Intellectual Freedom (p. 45).
- Assist and support MLA members in intellectual freedom concerns as requested.
- Encourage libraries to protect those rights by:
- Adopting ALA’s Freedom to Read Statement, Library Bill of Rights, and other statements adopted by the American Library Association and endorsed by the Missouri Library Association.
- Adopting selection and collection development policies that protect against challenges.
- Providing training opportunities with regard to intellectual freedom issues.
This looks like:
- writing letters of support to school boards and students to keep books on their shelves;
- having statements against legislation that will imprison librarians or limit funds to libraries;
- offering free workshops;
- joining a lawsuit against a senate bill passed in Missouri;
- providing countless media interviews;
- & more!
I noticed that Kansas Lib Assoc has an IFC. Do all state library associations now have IFCs (as part of a larger ALA effort)?
Many states do have IFCs with varying reasons why they were formed, but with the attack on librarians and resources these committees are more needed now to support those working in their states. ALA is currently “seeking state library associations or agencies wishing to either establish an Intellectual Freedom Helpline (IFH) in their state or expand upon the organization’s existing efforts to support librarians and educators addressing censorship in their institutions.
The goal of this project is to establish a state IFH to operate a confidential reporting system that will help connect those experiencing censorship attempts with professional support, in-state peers, and referral to ALA OIF as appropriate. They will also document reported censorship attempts and share data with ALA OIF for inclusion in ALA’s database of confidential reports documenting censorship attempts nationwide.”
This is in response to the significant, recent rise of book challenges and attacks on the library as an institution.
We’re in higher education, so we’re at least passingly familiar with the idea of academic freedom. This, though, is the Intellectual Freedom Committee. Is there a difference between the concepts of academic and intellectual freedom? Can you elaborate on that?
The two are very similar. It is about everyone being able to read what they want to read and learn how they want to learn. It is the role of the library to provide access to materials so that our patrons – whatever their age – can make these decisions themselves.
No matter the library's focus, intellectual freedom is something that we do in many areas of librarianship. We employ intellectual freedom principles in a wide variety of academic librarian activities:
- Instruction on information literacy
- Critical evaluation of sources
- Finding reputable sources
- Collection development
- Access
- Patron service
In public and school (k-12) libraries it can look at little different, but it is very similar.
Can you give me an example of an intellectual (or academic) freedom issue that KUMC is facing right now?
I cannot think of a specific example of intellectual/academic freedom that KUMC is facing, but whenever library or public funds are threatened, then the access to resources is threatened. This in turn will make it more difficult for our libraries to provide resources for patrons to read and learn how they want. It provides barriers to the freedom to read and access other types of information.
Additionally, when lawmakers threaten anti-DEI commitments, it can ultimately affect what resources we are able to provide our patrons. This affects access and ultimately research, healthcare, etc. Those most harmed by this are those that have historically been most harmed.
“Adopting selection and collection development policies that protect against challenges” is listed in the committee duties on its webpage. What would a policy like this look like? Can you give an example?
In our workshop we explain that librarians and library staff are in the best position to censor materials and create barriers, so as librarians we must constantly be aware of using professional versus personal ethics. So, when selecting materials for the collection and creating policies (referencing The Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement), we must keep in mind what the purpose of the library is – not our personal values and not the values of political leaders. When we have a solid collection development policy that we can point ourselves, staff, and patrons to, we can uphold our values more consistently and resiliently. This is a policy at an academic institution drafted by a colleague on the committee.
Also, when frontline staff are presented with a challenge to an item in the library’s collection, they can have confidence to follow a procedure for that challenge. This makes the patron feel heard and the staff member knowledgeable what to do in the situation. We advise all libraries to have a formal procedure for reconsideration. Some libraries require that the patron have read the entire book before they can challenge it, and some will have a limit of time that has to be expired before that same book can be challenged again.
How often does the committee get called for workshops? How many workshops has the committee done since you’ve been a member?
Typically, we either receive an email requesting the workshop or we are asked when we are presenting the workshop. For example, when we are at the pre-conference session at the Missouri Library Association’s Annual Conference, we will have people request then for us to come to their library or organization.
On record, we have done 38 workshops since I have been a member. That works out to a workshop a month since I have been a member. These workshops are mostly in Missouri, but we have also presented in Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Arizona, and Kentucky.
Please tell me about a recent workshop the committee put on.
One of our most recent ones with a consolidated library system – which included a bookmobile – in Missouri, so they cover a lot of area. The great thing about our workshops is that the attendees get the opportunity to work through real-life scenarios that involve balancing the responsibilities of providing access while ensuring privacy and inclusiveness. There is no black and white answer to these scenarios, but it helps workers think and feel prepared to handle difficult conversations and situations. It could be a patron challenging a book, but it could also be a community member calling the police because they do not like a homeless person carrying their belongings into the public library. Working through these situations and how to respond that represents our professional values is vital.
Have you ever received any feedback from the public regarding the committee’s work? Was it positive?
We mostly receive positive feedback, especially on our workshops. Sometimes there is constructive feedback about that, but we love to make it better. We even were given permission to post this on our webpage:
So, one of my last acts as library director here, was to ask the Intellectual Freedom committee from MLA to come and do a shortened version of their workshop on intellectual freedom for our board and staff. It is a wonderful opportunity to communicate what seems to be a very complex and complicated concept and make it understandable and easily applicable to everyday library life. So that when you get someone who might be belligerent or aggressive to your front-line staff, they have the tools to respond calmly, consistently, and without personal judgements. I, and the new library director, took the three-hour workshop at MLA, because it all sounds very intimidating when you first start out, and you feel like you don't even understand what half those concepts mean. I strongly recommend the workshop. Four of my five board members texted me before I had even gotten home to tell me how beneficial they felt it was. It presents ways to be proactive when a situation arises, instead of reactive, to turn a negative situation into a positive response and maybe even gain an ally, instead of someone who is antagonistic toward libraries and librarians.
Judy Garrett, Library Director
December 2023
Unfortunately, there have been some threatening emails we have received, and our social media person for MLA had to deal with a lot of awful comments over the past few years. This is part of the emotional burden and trauma librarians and library workers face when they are just trying to provide access to resources. It is unfortunate that people use their energy in this way instead of tackling real injustices.
What’s your favorite banned/challenged book you ever read?
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is one of my favorites. I also love:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
SO many great ones!! The whole list is worth reading. 😉
