ALA Votes to Oppose "Academic Bill of Rights" · 07 February 2006
ALA Votes to Oppose "Academic Bill of Rights"
LibraryJournal.com--02/06/06
During the recent American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio, the ALA Council, with three councilors in opposition, voted to oppose the "Academic Bill of Rights" (ABOR) by the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, led by conservative activist David Horowitz. The ABOR has been introduced in legislatures and academic institutions, and opposed by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) because it "proposes government oversight of teaching and learning."
ALA's resolution argued that the ABOR "would impose extra-academic standards on academic institutions, directly interfering in course content, the classroom, the research process, and hiring and tenure decisions" and reaffirmed AAUP statements on Academic Freedom and Tenure. The motion was endorsed by the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC), the Intellectual Freedom Round Table, the Social Responsibilities Round Table, and the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services; also it was endorsed in principle by the IFC of the Association of College and Research Libraries.
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