Intellectual Freedom

What is Intellectual Freedom?

Intellectual Freedom: With this right goes these responsibilities

"As a society we want our young people to be literate, thoughtful, and caring human beings; but we also attempt to control what they read, think, and care about. We feel the need to "protect" children from dangerous or disturbing ideas and information. Of course, what is dangerous or disturbing to one person or segment of society may be exciting and innovative to others and perhaps just "the truth" to still others. This combination of multiplicity of values and concern for young people keeps censorship alive in school and public libraries."
--Kay E. Vandergrift

For further information

Censorship, the Internet, Intellectual Freedom, and Youth

"New technologies are also causing an increase in incidents of censorship. The history of communications technologies, from the written word to modern electronic media, has been written with fear as critics contemplate the most dire consequences of each move that takes us farther from the personal one-on-one interaction with another human being in real time and space.

The internet and the world wide web are especially problematic. In the virtual world of these media, there is a potential for a kind of anonymous intimacy that can be very seductive in our often fragmented, disconnected lives. Young people, often very comfortable with and eager to explore these new media at the same time they are coping with the myriad problems of coming-of-age in our society, may be especially susceptible to such seduction. Like most things, this can be either good or bad."
--Kay E. Vandergrift

Professional Guidelines

"Avoid a strong adversarial position in discussions of intellectual freedom. Remind all involved that everyone is assumedly acting out of concern for young people; and it is those young people who are important, not the momentary validation of any ideology."
--Kay E. Vandergrift

Intellectual Freedom and Censorship

Censorship and Intellectual Freedom FAQs

"Simulated Intellectual Freedom Debate"
by Denise E. Agosto, Ph.D.

Democracy and Intellectual Freedom