The use of electronic reading devices has proliferated in the last few years. These reading devices appear to be particularly popular with young readers. A generation of students that has grown up with computers, cell phones, iPods, and other high-tech devices is more likely to embrace electronic book technology for both their educational and…

One's commitment to intellectual freedom is manifested not just in the creation of a strong and clear selection policy or the celebration of Banned Books Week but by his or her willingness to examine his or her practices openly with others. In this article, the author proposes four questions to explore in one's teaching and in professional…

A study of teachers' perceptions concerning intellectual freedom and book selection and use in the elementary school is described in this paper. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 452 public elementary school classroom teachers in Minnesota. Surveys were completed by teachers for a response rate of 83%. Results indicated that: (1) 20%…

The first textbook censorship challenge reached the courts in 1949, when a group of Jewish parents objected to Jewish stereotypes in literature used in the classrooms. This New York case is a reminder that (1) would-be censors do not always come from the far right; (2) while most censorship cases go to court for the purpose of having controversial…

The rights and responsibilities of boards of education in restricting the availability of certain materials through school libraries are considered in this report. The document first treats the relationship between the demands of the First Amendment and parents' expectations regarding the appropriateness of certain materials for their children.…

Attempts at censorship of books and periodicals used or made available in public schools have been increasing in recent years. Parents are raising a higher proportion of the complaints than ever before, and the percentage of complaints that are successful in having books removed from shelves is also on the rise. Three of seven federal court…

Controversies about the choice of books in school libraries raise two perplexing questions: (1) To what extent does the First Amendment allow the government to control what students read in schools? (2) If educational materials are to be selected, who makes these decisions? Several relevant court cases are reviewed. (Author/IS)