A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
- ALA Library Bill of Rights, January 23, 1996.
As teachers we are charged with the responsibility of helping students become well informed adults so they can, in turn, contribute meaningfully to society. Collectively, we’ve worked hard to create and strengthen our students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills, but that’s only half the battle. Regardless of their age, students must have free access to information reflecting all sides of an issue so that they can really flex these skills and make informed judgments and decisions. To that end, the media program must provide every student access to materials presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.
This pursuit of information must also be protected from scrutiny. Students should be secure in the knowledge that their inquiry will remain confidential. Thus, they can search freely without concern for any potential recourse. It is precisely this freedom that will enable a student, at any age, to review all the perspectives of a given issue and to determine his/her own stance. These well informed decision makers will, undoubtedly, be able to contribute to society in a very meaningful way.
