Censorship and Book Bans: How to Defend Intellectual Freedom

Learn tangible, proactive ways to handle censorship, find allies, and ensure your library policies are up to date.

The last few years have seen a drastic uptick in book bans and curriculum challenges. As a librarian, teacher, administrator, or trustee, it can be difficult to know your options for managing these challenges and advocating for intellectual freedom and diverse educational materials. This half-day online course will focus on proactive preparation to ensure you are set up for success. We will also discuss ways to cope and protect yourself if you’re already in the throes of censorship challenges. Live sessions will be available on-demand.

COURSE PROGRAM

Session 1 | 12:00-12:45 EST

Proactive Resistance: Policies, Procedures, and Protocols

Whether you’re preparing for challenges or you’re already dealing with them, this session will give you the practical tools you need to manage censorship. You will learn innovative policy ideas to reduce and resist censorship in your area, as well as strategies for auditing your current practices to ensure they will adequately defend intellectual freedom in your area. You will leave this session with new ideas for streamlined procedures and protocols that you can establish in your library to help you resist book bans and defend the right to read.

Session 2: 12:45-1:25 EST

Stronger Together: Building Community, Coalitions, and Allies

Defending intellectual freedom can’t be the job of just one person. This session will teach you how to find allies inside and outside of your library or school, build coalitions, and work as a community to combat censorship challenges. You will leave with shared resources and tools for how to connect with others to drive change in your community.

Break: 1:25-1:35 EST

Session 3 | 1:35-2:15 EST

Local Advocacy: How to Gain Political Support for Intellectual Freedom

Building from the previous session, this session will discuss tactics for gaining local legislative support for intellectual freedom in your area. You will learn how to craft your advocacy story and what types of lobbying most libraries are allowed to do. Leave with practical tips for political action you can take to defend intellectual freedom.

Session 4 | 2:15-3:05

Proactive Governance: How to Prepare for and Handle Problems in Your Board Meetings

Learn tangible tools you can use and actions you can take to help manage disruptions to your board meetings. Whether you’re facing internal challenges, external challenges, or both, you will leave this session prepared with best practices to keep your governance on track.

Break: 3:05-3:15 EST

Session 5 | 3:15-4:00 EST

Protecting Yourself Amid Censorship and Defamation Attacks

Too often, librarians and educators are being publicly targeted by people attempting to advance censorship. This session will teach you how to protect yourself online from doxxing and other harassment. You will also learn strategies for setting and maintaining boundaries, advocating for yourself in the workplace, and prioritizing wellness through rest and connection to others through affinity groups.