Prepared Libraries, Empowered Teams: A Workbook for Navigating Intellectual Freedom Challenges Together

Preliminary data for 2023 from ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) shows an all-time high number of book challenges, shattering the previous record set only the year before. Anticipating and preparing for challenges can only be done effectively when the library has a unified team. This workbook will help library directors and managers at all types of libraries ensure that all members of their staff understand the essential role they have to play when challenges arise. Simultaneously, it will guide you towards managing the stress of the circumstances with lessened impact on team well-being and organizational reputation. Solo librarians will also find resources for coalition-building in the absence of library colleagues within their institution. Assisting you as a library worker in creating your own challenge readiness roadmap, this workbook surveys the national intellectual freedom landscape, then guides you through a review of your current circumstances, structures, and team member strengths; provides considerations for developing strong policies and procedures on which your action plan rests; shares recommendations for gathering team input and building team capacity at every step of the way; includes planning templates, strategies, checklists, and suggested scripts to assist in co-constructing a unified approach with your team; identifies methods for developing deep knowledge of your organization's selection policy in your team members; uses a conflict mediation perspective to show how to de-escalate tense conversations involving patrons, members of the community, and team members; outlines best practices for communication and capacity-building in the face of all manner of challenges, helping you stay clear and intentional in your interactions with stakeholders; and includes numerous real-world examples of different book challenges, showing how this approach to team preparedness can be applied.