Protecting Intellectual Freedom and Privacy in Your School Library

School librarians at any grade level will find this book thought-provoking, especially if they are updating their library policies or training staff on privacy issues. Primarily a collection of columns previously published in School Library Monthly, it also includes updates, summaries, questions to ask, and extensive lists of additional resources. Few school librarians will read this book without questioning their own policies and practices. Do we too often bar students from checking out materials because of overdues? Are our check-out limits too low? Are students restricted by computerized reading programs or required to borrow books from a restricted reading level? Do we adequately protect student privacy? Do shrinking library budgets impede intellectual freedom? These are thorny issues, and many readers will scramble to update their collection-development and privacy policies after reading these thoughtful essays. Of course, the dreaded book challenge gets lengthy consideration-along with ways to prepare for challenges in advance-but issues like internet filters, confidentiality of library records, serving special-needs students and English Language Learners, and the role of the solo librarian serving multiple schools are also addressed. As a result of the many court cases, organizations, documents, and acronyms mentioned, some of the columns are on the dry side. The book comes alive, however, when the author describes actual sticky situations and quotes school librarians coping with real intellectual freedom and privacy issues. School librarians will want to have it on hand for the resources and guidelines it contains, but its real value is in the questions it prompts readers to ask about their own libraries.—Miranda Doyle, Lake Oswego School District, OR