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CHICAGO – To bring attention to the overly aggressive filtering of high quality, legitimate educational and social websites used by students and teachers, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has designated Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, as Banned Websites Awareness Day. Resources to help educators commemorate the inaugural observance are now available on the AASL website at .

Available materials include:

• AASL’s press release announcing Banned Websites Awareness Day
• Articles on filtering and minors' first amendment rights originally published in the association’s journal, Knowledge Quest
• Compiled Essential Links on topics such as the ACLU’s Don’t Filter Me Project and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
• An aggregate of AASLBlog posts by guest authors on Banned Websites Awareness Day and related issues

School librarians and other educators are encouraged to share their Banned Websites Awareness Day stories and activities in a by Intellectual Freedom Committee Chair Helen Adams. “Filtering of educational and social networking sites is an impediment to student learning in schools across the country. By sharing resources, experiences, and planned activities with other school librarians AASL can heighten awareness about filtering of legitimate educational websites in K-12 schools,” explains Adams.

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), promotes the improvement and extension of library services in elementary and secondary schools as a means of strengthening the total education program. Its mission is to advocate excellence, facilitate change and develop leaders in the school library field.