Introduction

The library profession has been facing controversy, frustration, and pushback from society and governmental institutions over the past decade or so, increasing exponentially in 2020 with the combined cultural frustrations and fear surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic as well as heightened awareness of the continued racial tensions in the United States following the death of George Floyd. Additionally, the United States is looking at economic downturn, inflation, job insecurity, etc. Academic institutions are also taking a hit with increased tuition, crippling student loan debt, and questions surrounding the purpose of university degrees in the first place, considering the economic outlook graduates face.

Amidst this societal turmoil sits the humble library and its continued fight to preserve privacy, to protect from censorship, and to rebut current and past legislation passages that keep librarians from protecting intellectual freedoms to all patrons. “Over the past decade, libraries have unfortunately become a target of controversy, which has raised concerns about their role and purpose.” (Teel, 2023, p. 1). Compounded by all of the controversy and cultural changes, libraries are also conductors on the information superhighway—the Internet. “The complications that digital technologies and the internet have caused regarding intellectual freedoms, right to privacy, and access come together at the intersection of libraries and their mission” (Dresang, 2006). Academic libraries have a unique struggle in collection development because of their reliance on digital collections and media to keep students current with research and other findings. The academic librarian needs to take all of these positions into account to develop strong collections to promote academic rigor, abide by government standards, and protect the individual patron’s right to intellectual freedom.

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