Our shared, strong commitment to intellectual freedom is a cornerstone of library work, and it impacts every decision we make with our collections. Though the idea of intellectual freedom is most frequently associated with book challenges, this commitment is also crucial to every collection development task, from the day a book is selected to the day it is discarded. In this session, we will review how intellectual freedom is embedded in every stage of collection development, and what it means for how we work with the communities we serve.
By the end of this session, attendees will:
- Understand the basic principles of intellectual freedom in libraries
- Be able to discern how those principles apply to common collection development tasks
- Feel more confident in their ability to build collections in collaboration with their community
This is Part 2 in a 3-part series. Learn more about Part 1 here, and Part 3 here.
About our presenter: Stephanie Anderson is Assistant Director, Selection, at BookOps, managing the team that selects and orders all circulating collections for the 150 physical locations and two digital collections of the New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. She is a founding member of LibraryReads, reviews for Kirkus, and is currently researching the history of collection development and readers’ advisory in New York City.