Description: 

With the increasing political polarization in our urban and rural communities, libraries have seen a dramatic increase in attempts to restrict content for a variety of library users—including teens. Building upon our initial session (October 11, 2023; archived recording available on the California Library Association YouTube Channel) about overall challenges, we will focus in this session on how our colleagues are successfully using resources available to us to respond to challenges affecting teens and those who serve them in urban and rural libraries.

Join us for this story-driven, highly interactive workshop/discussion to learn and contribute to the conversation about challenges affecting teens; creative and positive strategies for responding in a way that maintains access to materials that our teens need and want to have available; and how to assure that staff and management are aligned in their approaches to these challenges. 

Goal:

Participants, as advocates for teens and their ability to gain access to materials and other resources in urban and rural libraries throughout California, will understand and be able to apply a firm knowledge of First Amendment rights and other sources of support when faced with challenges and disruptions to what their libraries offer. 

Objectives:

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Concisely cite at least three foundational elements that support library advocates’ work with young adults in support of their intellectual freedom/the right to read
• Demonstrate how you can apply lessons learned from other advocates’ successful efforts to address intellectual freedom/right to read challenges that affect young adults access to library materials and other resources
• Cite at least three resources you can use to further hone your advocacy skills in the arena of intellectual freedom/right to read for young adults

Presenters/Facilitators:  

Theresa Chmara is an attorney in Washington, DC. She also is the General Counsel of the Freedom to Read Foundation. She is the author of Privacy and Confidentiality Issues: A Guide for Libraries and their Lawyers (ALA 2009). She has been a First Amendment lawyer for over 30 years and is a frequent speaker on intellectual freedom issues in libraries. She is also a contributing author for the Intellectual Freedom Manual published by the Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association and served as an instructor for the Lawyers for Libraries training seminars and an instructor for the American Library Association First Amendment and Library Services e-course.

Molly Hitchings is the Adult Services Librarian at the San Lorenzo Branch of Alameda County Library. She has been working in libraries since 2011; received her MLIS from University of Illinois in 2015; and has served as an adult services librarian for seven years. Molly's interests and expertise include LGBTQ+ advocacy, comics, tabletop gaming, and everything about animals. She lives in Oakland, CA with her partner, five cats, and an assortment of reptiles.

Kalie McGuirl is a library technician at the San Lorenzo branch of Alameda County Library. She is fairly new to library work and has a background in the book world. She is passionate about the intersection of LGBTQ+ issues and equitable library programming.

Joyce McIntosh is the Assistant Program Director for the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF), an organization dedicated to First Amendment education, litigation, and advocacy. She has worked at the intersection of intellectual freedom, communication, and the First Amendment for three decades. Her background and education in journalism and library and information science have led her to work for newspapers, non-profits, and for the last two decades in libraries. She worked in a public library outside of Chicago, IL providing reference, programming, outreach, and assistive technology before joining FTRF.  With FTRF and the American Library Association her work has focused on education about the First Amendment and censorship, and helping librarians navigate challenges in their school and public libraries. 

About the Ursula Meyer Advocacy Fund Training Series