It seems like this national wave of material and program challenges is never ending. Facing a challenge can be stressful, and trying to figure out what to do can feel overwhelming. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is here to help. What is the OIF and what do they do? Eric Stroshane OIF’s Assistant Director for Member Services, was kind enough to share information about OIF so you know who they are, what they do, and when to contact their office. A bit more about Eric: Eric Stroshane worked in public, special, and academic libraries for twenty years prior to signing on with ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. As OIF’s Assistant Director for Member Services, he provides education, advocacy, and confidential support defending the freedom to read. Eric is also responsible for maintaining the Book Résumés website for Unite Against Book Bans (among many other things!). What is a…
Tag: Office for Intellectual Freedom
Recap of Solidarity in the Face of Censorship
On Thursday, April 3rd the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee held a We Are ALSC Chat titled “Solidarity in the Face of Censorship: Meeting You Where You Are”. A representative from the Office for Intellectual Freedom, Sarah Lamdan, graciously joined the discussion to offer advice and answer questions. The ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee would like to thank all those who attended and share the brilliant notes taken by IFC member Judy Ehrenstein. Question: What is OIF hearing? Is there any good news? There is good news! When challenges go to court, IF frequently wins. A judge ruled against the removal of books in the Elizabeth, CO school district, and all removed items had to be returned to shelves. https://www.cpr.org/2025/04/04/judge-orders-elizabeth-school-district-return-banned-books/ Litigation is the last step and is expensive and takes time. Groups such as the ACLU, NAACP, and the Legal Defense Fund have been supportive of libraries in cases of book bans….
Book Challenges: A New Hope
We’ve all seen the numbers. This year alone, between January 1 and August 31, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials, including 1,128 unique title challenges. Many of the challenged books are for children and teens and share stories by and about the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. Advocacy resources are available, including the Unite Against Book Bans Book Resumes highlighted in a May 2024 blog post. The Office for Intellectual Freedom is ready to help. Our ALSC and the wider library communities are ready to help. But still, this is exhausting. It’s time for a bit of encouragement. In May of 2024, I attended a conference called the Banned Books Symposium. The conference features presentations on banned and challenged books and programming. This year’s event included a library sharing a banned books trading card program, a book challenge simulation done for staff training, protecting LGBTQIA+…
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