|
|
|
|
|
The Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) is passionately committed to defending the right of all to freely read and select materials for personal enjoyment, inquiry and research of all types. This freedom to read is based on ideals espoused and protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Library Bill of Rights created by the American Library Association. The freedom to select materials is an imperative prerequisite to ensuring the freedom to read and must be protected from those who seek to unreasonably restrict it.
Therefore, FAME opposes measures that limit the freedom to read through removing access to books or other materials by banning, restricting access or other methods of exclusion.
As censorship activity rises across the state of Florida and the United States, it is increasingly important to defend the policies and procedures in place to ensure free and equal access to materials for all. Each school district determines appropriate selection and review policies, and professional educators within those districts follow guidelines to select materials for reading and instruction that support the curriculum.
It is the duty of each school district and school librarians or responsible district personnel to follow established guidelines for book challenges, as these protections have been put in place to support the reading freedoms for each community. Materials for school libraries are selected by professionals who are trained to develop collections for their organization based on the needs of their population and curriculum, independently of their personal opinions or beliefs.
If you need assistance designing or implementing collection development policies or procedures, please reach out to fame@floridamediaed.org . Additional resources are available on the FAME Committee on Intellectual Freedom website, https://www.floridamediaed.org/intellectual-freedom.html, as well as the American Association of School Librarians Intellectual Freedom page, https://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/if .
Board approved 11/11/2021
Therefore, FAME opposes measures that limit the freedom to read through removing access to books or other materials by banning, restricting access or other methods of exclusion.
As censorship activity rises across the state of Florida and the United States, it is increasingly important to defend the policies and procedures in place to ensure free and equal access to materials for all. Each school district determines appropriate selection and review policies, and professional educators within those districts follow guidelines to select materials for reading and instruction that support the curriculum.
It is the duty of each school district and school librarians or responsible district personnel to follow established guidelines for book challenges, as these protections have been put in place to support the reading freedoms for each community. Materials for school libraries are selected by professionals who are trained to develop collections for their organization based on the needs of their population and curriculum, independently of their personal opinions or beliefs.
If you need assistance designing or implementing collection development policies or procedures, please reach out to fame@floridamediaed.org . Additional resources are available on the FAME Committee on Intellectual Freedom website, https://www.floridamediaed.org/intellectual-freedom.html, as well as the American Association of School Librarians Intellectual Freedom page, https://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/if .
Board approved 11/11/2021
Click to register your school for SSYRA voting!
Members only Conference registration, including for workshops only, can be found here.
Click to view the new FMQ
SSYRA and FTR dates
|
|
Make sure to register for Conference to see the amazing Colby Sharp!
|
|
|
|
|
The Florida Association for Media in Education joins with American Library Association and BCALA in “condemning the systemic and systematic social injustices endured by Black people and People of Color and in working not only responsively, but also preemptively, to eradicate racism anywhere and everywhere it exists.”
Please go to http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/06/ala-executive-board-stands-bcala-condemning-violence-and-racism-towards-0 to read the full ALA statement. |
Members may find book and resource recommendations from FAME’s Diversity Committee at https://www.floridamediaed.org/diversity.html.
|
Because students can read anywhere anytime, we recognize the importance to provide incentives and motivate independent reading now more than ever. It is our honor to work with FAME and the entire Florida community during these uncertain times. In an effort to keep students engaged and motivated to read, we are offering Remote Reading SSYRA Brag Tags® in small quantities to accommodate remote reading during school closures. We will ship directly to a home or "remote" address.
|
Homeschool Families and Public Schools: Here's how to participate in the SSYRA Reading Program. Readers of 3 (or more) will be able to vote for their favorite in the spring. Watch our social media accounts for a link to register to vote sometime in January. |
access the committee interest form here!
(members only)
|
|
Do you have an event to feature?
email our Webmaster Rebecca Radic (rjradic@gmail.com)
The Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME) is a collaborative, responsive, dynamic network for Florida school library media professionals.