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CHICAGO — Intellectual freedom is a complex concept that democracies and free societies around the world define in different ways but always strive to uphold. And 91��ý has long recognized the crucial role that libraries play in protecting this right. But what does it mean in practice? How do library workers handle the ethical conundrums that often accompany the commitment to defending it? Rather than merely laying out abstract policies and best practices, “,” published by 91��ý Editions, gathers real-world stories of intellectual freedom in action to illuminate the difficulties, triumphs, and occasional setbacks of advocating for free and equal access to information for all people. Edited by Valerie Nye for 91��ý's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), this important new collection offers insight to LIS students and current practitioners on how we can advance the profession of librarianship while fighting censorship and other challenges. The personal narratives inside explore such formidable situations as:

• presenting drag queen story times in rural America;
• a Black Lives Matter “die-in” at the undergraduate library of the University of Wisconsin-Madison;
• combating censorship at a prison library;
• hosting a moderated talk about threats to modern democracy that included a neo-Nazi spokesman;
• a provocative exhibition that triggered intimidating phone calls, emails, and a threat to burn down an art library;
• calls to eliminate non-Indigenous children’s literature from the collection of a tribal college library; and
• preserving patrons’ right to privacy in the face of an FBI subpoena.

Nye is the Library Director at the Santa Fe Community College. She previously worked as a library director at the Institute of American Indian Arts and as a library consultant at the New Mexico State Library, where she started researching and training others on intellectual freedom and banned books. She coedited (with Kathy Barco) the book “.” 91��ý’s (OIF) works to safeguard the rights of library users in accordance with 91��ý’s and the , with the support of the , an affiliated legal defense organization that protects and defends the First Amendment. OIF is charged with implementing 91��ý policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the association’s basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. Established in 1967, the office provides guidance, information, and resources on a range of intellectual freedom subjects related to libraries and provides confidential support to anyone undergoing a material or service challenge.

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purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library and information professionals worldwide. 91��ý Editions | 91��ý Neal-Schuman publishes resources used by library and information professionals, scholars, students, and educators to improve programs and services, build on best practices, enhance pedagogy, share research, develop leadership, and promote advocacy. 91��ý authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact 91��ý Editions | 91��ý Neal-Schuman at editionsmarketing@ala.org.

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