Booklist Review
Intellectual freedom--always controversial, powerfully emotional, and endlessly nuanced--is, without doubt, a core value of American librarianship. Its importance was formalized in the ALA's 1939 Bill of Rights, and the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom was created in 1967. Rarely a safe or simple value for librarians to practice, it is even more complicated in these times of highly charged political passions, instantaneous communication, social media, and the 24-hour news cycle. Oltmann has managed to pull all of these facets together into a concise, well-informed guidebook, explaining the theoretical underpinnings of intellectual freedom and giving solid advice on how to practice it. Well-organized chapters provide both an intellectual orientation and an organized list of skills. The book addresses the needs of public, school, and academic librarians, and crystal-clear writing explains the connections between intellectual freedom, access to information, and freedom of speech. Topics include court cases, materials challenges, collection development, the #MeToo movement, internet filtering, fake news, confidentiality, law-enforcement requests, copyright, and trigger warnings. This guidebook deserves a spot on every librarian's desk.
Choice Review
Oltmann (School of Information Science, Univ. of Kentucky) provides a clearly written and accessible overview of intellectual freedom and its practical application in all library types. The book is divided into two parts: the first outlines the concept of intellectual freedom, detailing its relationship to free speech and identifying it as one of the core values in librarianship; the second applies these principles to practical library situations. The text serves as a thorough introduction to the topic for library students, and it is likewise a useful tool for librarians who are developing policy and procedures to ensure that intellectual freedom is embedded in library practices. Some of the book's material is less directly applicable to libraries outside the US: chapters focusing on copyright and law enforcement, for instance, reflect US laws and processes, and the work's conceptual framework is grounded in American legal theory. However, the practical, hands-on advice provided--particularly the overarching argument that intellectual freedom is a skill library staff can and should practice--will be welcomed by librarians in all settings. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals. --Elaina St. Onge, Campion College
Library Journal Review
Protecting intellectual freedoms is both an essential value of librarianship and a skill that must be cultivated, argues Oltmann (Sch. of Information Science, Univ. of Kentucky). By familiarizing themselves with the principals of intellectual freedom and learning to recognize barriers to information, librarians can meet the needs of all users. In this thorough, copiously researched work, Oltmann explains that intellectual freedom is rooted in the First Amendment, which safeguards not only freedom of speech but also the right to information. She demonstrates how these issues apply to library services, emphasizing that a library's main mission is to provide access to information. Oltmann pushes librarians to promote diversity and balance in their collections, and considers difficult questions--in light of sexual abuse allegations against Sherman Alexie, should his YA novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian be removed? Alt-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos perpetuates hate speech--should libraries buy his book Dangerous? Ultimately, Oltmann urges librarians to put personal preferences aside and to rely on the principles of intellectual freedom when mulling these issues. VERDICT Along with the latest edition of ALA's Intellectual Freedom Manual, Oltmann's thoughtful work is an important resource for LIS students, librarians, and administrators alike.--Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL
