High school students and intellectual freedom: Making choices in the real world

Information access lies at the heart of the library media specialist's responsibility within schools. Research indicates that an educational program that provides students free access to information and encourages individualized inquiry of information equips students with skills necessary to evaluate information effectively. This study examined the intellectual freedom in high schools by gathering data on the nature of students' access to materials. It also examined educational strategies used to provide access to information resources. Surveys were sent to 100 library media specialists in Missouri. Interviews were also conducted to further discern the educational strategies used by library media specialists to encourage students to seek out information and evaluate what they find. The results of the study conclude that even though barriers exist between students and information access, students are still encouraged and are able to exercise their intellectual freedom and access information with the full support of faculty and administrators.