Engaging with Intellectual Freedom

1. Engaging with Intellectual Freedom Gavin J. Woltjer, Jim Kammerer, Anne Kish, Kerri Cobb, and Noel Osterman

2. Intellectual Freedom and Surveillance Jim Kammerer, Montana Library Association

3. RESOLUTION ON THE NEED FOR REFORMS FOR THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT PRIVACY, OPEN GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY http://www.mtlib.org/handbook/resolution-reforms-for-the-intelligence-community/ Passed and Adopted April 11, 2014, MLA membership meeting, Billings, Montana.

4. Surveillance data collection points:Newer cars, i.e. computer on wheels collects vehicle speed, daily mileage, seatbelt use, braking behavior, location, etc.  Electronic Data Recorders (EDR). Ownership and use of this data? • Home appliances: Alexa, Siri, Roomba vacuum sweeper, doorbells, smart utility meters, toothbrushes. • Cell phones: location, mood, etc. • Mail Isolation Control and Tracking • Retail stores: cameras, loyalty cards, surveys, • Walgreens, Nestle, Coors testing refrigerated coolers funded by Microsoft that take iris and facial images. • Surveillance cameras on street corners, buildings, public transportation, schools. • Audio recordings on public transportation, park benches, bus stops. • Telephone and email is all recorded. • Browsing history recorded and resold. • Google records our voice print. • Surveillance flights and drones. • License plate scanners. • Credit cards, Online shopping, Bank activity, Social media: Facebook, Twitter Instagram, etc.

5. Surveillance risks, challenges, and threats. • Social control by governments, e.g. social credit score in China. Measures your trustworthiness, virtue, mental health, self-discipline. • Access to health care, education, housing, travel, employment, insurance, credit, rental cars, mortgages, etc. • Effect on exercise of 1st and 4th amendments. Inhibits our behavior, thinking, self-censorship. • Cumulative effect of surveillance upon human autonomy? Privacy as essential to being human. • Accuracy, racial bias.

6. Some responses to surveillance • “I have nothing to hide” • “Nobody cares what I’m doing/thinking. I’m one among millions of people.” • Depression. Withdrawal. • Resignation. • Digital holidays. • Reduce consumption. • Other responses?

7. Surveillance References/Resources • “China’s Dystopian Tech Could Be Contagious. The PRC’s “social credit” scheme might have consequences for life in cities everywhere.” Adam Greenfield. The Atlantic. February 14, 2018. • “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: the Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power” by Shoshana Zuboff. 2019. • “The Secrets of Surveillance Capitalism” Frankfurter Allgemeine. Shoshana Zuboff. May 3, 2016. • “How smartphones are rewiring our brains” Marc Beaulieu. CBC Life. March 22, 2017. • “The Perpetual Line-Up. Unregulated Police Face Recognition in America.” Georgetown Law. Center on Privacy and Technology. October 18, 2016. • “The House That Spied on Me” by Kashmir Hill and Surya Mattu.  February 7, 2018. • Library Freedom Project https://libraryfreedomproject.org/

8. Anne Kish, Assistant Professor, University of Montana-Western

9. Preparing for Intellectual Freedom programs… • Programming should represent a broad representation of views • Beware of disinviting speakers, authors, or audience members • Have a plan in the event of potential disruption • Stay right with the Library Bill of Rights Fully prepare for your program using guidelines from ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

10. Fully prepare for your program using guidelines from ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom A WEBSITE OF THE ALA OFFICE FOR INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM • Banned Books Week began in the 1980s and celebrates the fact that, despite challenges, the majority of materials are still available in our libraries. Mark Your Calendar!!! September 22 – 28, 2019

11. Beyond Banned Books Week • ELearning for Librarians http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intellectual-freedom-elearning • Programming in • a Box https://chooseprivacyeveryday.org/programs/programming-in-a-box/ https://chooseprivacyeveryday.org/

12. Read about successful intellectual freedom programs held in libraries across Montana https://guides.umwestern.edu/c.php?g=920876 No need to reinvent the wheel! The Intellectual Freedom Committee has compiled examples of programs into one easy LibGuide. These are field-tested programs from all types of Montana libraries. Take the ideas and make them your own! Image retrieved March 8, 2019 from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=240382&picture=idea

13. Challenges to Intellectual Freedom in Schools Kerri Cobb, Librarian, Bozeman High School Noel Osterman, Librarian, Great Falls Central Catholic High School

14. Challenges in MT Schools • Most challenges in schools have to do with using the book within the curriculum (all students must read it) rather than collecting the book in the school library.  However, library books are also challenged. • Earliest documented challenge:  1918 under the Sedition Act. German-friendly books were removed from libraries including history and song books.  In some cases, the books were burned. • 1999:  Fools Crow by James Welch was challenged for sexually explicit content in Laurel.  The book was removed from the curriculum. • Personal Experiences:  Of Mice and Men; Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (film), BetweenShades of Gray. None of the materials were removed, but alternate titles were substituted for students whose parents expressed concerns. Sepetys’ book became part of the collection.

15. More Recent Challenges Winter 2001:  The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett was challenged for sexually explicit scenes and use of profanity.  The parent asked that the school district (GFPS) extend the ban on student use of vulgar, offensive, lewd or indecent speech to library materials.  The extension was not granted and the book was retained in the library collection. 2005/2006:  Three books (The Vanishing Hitchhiker:  American Urban Legends by Jan Brunvand, Alligators in the Sewer, and Urban Legends by Thomas Craughwell) were removed from Lockwood Middle School Library in Billings after being challenged for sexually explicit situations.  A fourth book, The Guy Book: An Owner’s Manual by Mavis Jukes was reviewed and retained. 2013:  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was challenged for profanity and sexually explicit content in Billings.  The book was retained.

16. 2005/2006 Middle School Challenges • The challenges that took place at Lockwood Middle School in Billings during winter of 2005/2006 impacted the school’s challenged book review policy. • The original policy required that the school superintendent review the challenged books and decided if the school should retain them or not. • Parents recommended that a selection committee be made, but that recommendation did not make it out of a March school board meeting. • Instead, the board considered and put into place a policy under which the school superintendent would convene a reconsideration review committee to review challenged books including one school administrator, one librarian, one teacher and two parents chosen from a list of volunteers from the school’s Family Resource Center.

17. Collection Development The library media centers exist to support and enrich the school curriculums and promote recommended recreational reading; provide historical, current, culturally accurate, and diverse information for intellectual growth for all users; provide a welcoming environment that stimulates student’s interest in reading, provides tools for accessing all forms of information, and exploring new ideas; promotes intellectual freedom using the principles inherent in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, and as expressed in the School Library Bill of Rights and endorsed by the American Association of School Librarians. Bozeman Public Schools Collection Development Mission Statement

18. Selection Policy • All students will be given the materials needed to meet the curriculum standards as set forth in the latest adoption of the curriculum, plus a selection of recommended recreational reading materials. The collections are maintained and developed with the goal of supporting the District’s curriculums and providing quality recreational reading for District patrons. Library Media Centers support this goal by providing high-quality, current and relevant materials and information to its users, accommodating the wide variety of reading interests and abilities of all students, with the intent of presenting a variety of viewpoints and a balanced consideration of topics. • Follett recommended core collection • Indian Education for All • Professional Reviews (Booklist, SLJ, ALA, Kirkus, Titlewave) • Curriculum needs, teacher and student suggestions

19. Patron Confidentiality • The confidentiality of all patrons is guaranteed through the use of a secured automated circulation system. • Student checkout information to parents • Share example of parent who didn’t want their student to check out or bring home books • Share example of parent who wanted to restrict certain genre of books for student • Student checkout information to teachers • Overdue notices

20. Self-Censorship • Self-censorship by a school librarian involves making collection management choices on the basis of avoiding conflict with administrators, parents, or colleagues (ALA, 2010). • Slippery-slope • Examples from work and colleagues • Fear • Unique situation of school libraries • Moving forward • Clear collection and management policy • Clear policy on complaints and censorship • Complaint - fill out form requesting reconsideration of instructional materials • Committee members appointed • All meetings will be open to the public • Written decision will be given within 10 days of the last committee meeting

21. References “Collection Management Procedures Policy.” Bozeman School District 7, 5 May 2017. Goldberg, Beverly.   “Nailing Hammer of Eden:”  Censorship Watch.  American Libraries, vol. 32 no. 1, Jan. 2001. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login. aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=3931460&site=ehost-live. Hoffman, Matt.  “To Kill a Mockingbird still flies in Montana Schools, but other books face challenges.” Billings Gazette, 21 Oct. 2017, https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/to-kill-a-mockingbird-still-flies-in- montana-schools-but/article_61425f56-dccc-5343-9672-2621f7790c6d.html.   Accessed 18 March 2019. “Learning Materials Review Policy.” Bozeman School District 7, 9 Oct. 2000. “Montana Challenges Complicate Policy Review.” American Libraries, vol. 37, no. 5, May 2006, p. 23. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct= true&db=lxh&AN=20649517&site=ehost-live. Rickman, Wendy. “A Study of Self-Censorship by School Librarians.” School Library Research, Oct. 2010.