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Advocacy

It is the position of the Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL)  that every student in a Maryland school is deserving of a school library run by a certified school librarian. The school library is a place of learning, exploration, and is uniquely suited to serve the needs of the entire school community. MASL supports the intellectual freedom of our students and school community as well as understands that school librarians are uniquely qualified to make collection decisions for their school library based on their expertise in collection development and the knowledge of their school community. 

Need Advocacy Help? 

Use this form to reach out to MASL if you are in urgent need of advocacy help.  Alternatively, you may email: [email protected].  Please remember we are an all volunteer organization serving as school librarians and it may be 24-48 hours for a response.

MASL Advocacy Now Form

Want to read more about MASL's position on intellectual freedom, censorship, and school libraries? Click the link below.

MASL Position Statements

Additional Resources

School libraries play a critical role in supporting student success and fostering a love of learning. Advocating for school libraries ensures that students have access to the resources, programs, and expert support they need to succeed academically and personally. Here's why advocating for school libraries is essential:

  • Academic Support: School libraries offer resources that enhance classroom learning and provide students with access to a wide variety of reading materials.
  • Literacy Development: Libraries support literacy development through reading programs, information literacy skills, and technology access.
  • Equity and Access: School libraries offer equitable access to information, technology, and resources for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
  • Community Building: Libraries create a safe space for students to explore, collaborate, and engage with their peers.

Advocacy Tools

Here are some useful tools and resources to help you advocate for school libraries:

 Additional Information

Some other things to consider if you are facing a challenge:

  1. Contact ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom

Once ALA knows of a challenge, they will be able to provide you with guidance and resources to help defend your students’ right to read. It is vital that you report a challenge of any type to ALA (this includes administrators removing books from the library before an official challenge is made). You may want to refer to ALA’s Library Bill of Rights. This is a great resource to give you direction and talking points. ALA offers a toolkit for you to reference and use as needed.

  1. Learn more about the challenge

Some questions to consider are:

  • Did the challenge come from a community member or parent? 
  • Has the administrator or librarian reached out to explain collection development and opt out options (notes in library management system, technology blocks, etc.)?
  • If the challenge is from a community member, have they completed the appropriate form?
  • If the challenge has come from an administrator or other teacher, do they need to be informed/educated on library policies and procedures? If not, do they want to meet to discuss concerns? 
  • If concerns aren’t met at either level after discussion with a librarian and (neutral) administrator, does a formal challenge need to take place? Locate your district’s policies/procedures.

These policies and procedures are commonly called: Review of Instructional Materials policy, Instructional Material Selection Policy, Challenge Protocol, Resource Material. Some of them will be school board policy while others may just be library protocol and procedure.

Begin to look for reviews of the materials being challenged. If you are having trouble finding reviews, ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom will be able to help you.  Unite Against Book Bans offers book resumes that can be very helpful and can be found here.

Contact the the MASL advocacy team. Advocacy ([email protected])  will be able to put you in touch with other librarians who have been through this and provide local support as needed and will support you at every step along the way.

It is important to remember:  

  • Every student is entitled to the freedom to choose what to read.
  • Your job is to ensure freedom for every reader to see themselves in a book.
  • You are not alone.
  • While every challenge may not go as you wish, it is important to continue to promote intellectual freedom within the role of the school librarian.