Intellectual Freedom & Comparing the AASL and ISTE Standards

Intellectual Freedom & Comparing the AASL and ISTE Standards

When you visit a country you’ve never been to before, you have to learn a few of the laws. You have to know the rules to stick by, so you don’t end up finding yourself on the wrong side of the law unintentionally. You’ll also want to learn some customs and traditions – often these govern more than the laws of the land. Nobody wants to be the tourist who offends every shop and restaurant owner they encounter.

The same goes for a new librarian – you have to learn what governs you as a librarian as well as the trends and major issues facing the profession. It’s important to know the standards and understand how they govern the world of libraries but it’s just as essential to know them in terms of the issues librarians are currently facing.

Two sets of standards govern modern school librarians – the National School Library Standards from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the standards from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). In some schools, there is an educational technology coach responsible for the technology realm; some schools have educational technologists at the district level. This puts the responsibility of adhering to the educational technology standards at the school level more often than not, on the school librarian.

The AASL Standards are specific and comprehensive at the same time – because it breaks down between not just learner and educator/librarian but also the library as an entity. The six Shared Foundations (Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage) are the core educational concepts the standards are based upon; these are then broken down into competencies for each Domain (Think, Create, Share, and Grow). There are Competencies for the Learner, Librarian, and Library.

In contrast, the ISTE Standards are broken down into separate standards for the student, educator, administrator, coach, and computer science educator. Each set of standards includes it’s own set of roles such as learner, citizen, collaborator; within each standard are specific indicators going into more detail as to how that standard is achieved.

Beyond just the standards though, librarians must focus on the issues facing the profession – one of which is intellectual freedom. Intellectual freedoms and First Amendment rights are being assaulted on all fronts in today’s society, especially in education. Censorship of content and limitations to information access occur in many schools and students are not being exposed to a wealth of educational opportunities – not to mention their worldview being significantly stunted. Helen Adams goes into further detail in her article "65 Years and Counting" published in the AASL Knowledge Quest.

The AASL standards provide an entity to the library, something most standards do not. This designation allows the librarian to act not just to accomplish the needs of the student and to meet standards for librarians but also to ensure the library as a facility is meeting the standards. This representation extends the abilities of a librarian to help ensure the library remains a beacon of freedom and expression.

ISTE Standards are more specifically able to meet the needs of defending intellectual freedom in the library – for instance, the standards specifically say in the Collaborate Standard for Students that learners are not just in groups, but in diverse groups. The language of the ISTE demands diversity and that protects intellectual freedom.

Combining both sets of standards in a library will help set a librarian up for success on the front lines of defending intellectual freedom and First Amendment rights for our young adults. 

Adams, H. R. (2016). 65 years and counting AASL and school librarians — Still champions of intellectual freedom. Knowledge Quest, 45(1), 34-41.