We discussed the need to educate and prepare our staff and boards to respond appropriately to challenges that range from subtle, such as the patron who flips magazines over in the public reading area that is used as personal office space, to formal, such as a signed, submitted Request for Reconsideration form for a specific item. 

In 2017, only 8 Michigan libraries reported challenges (non-confidential) to the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. Yet in the short discussion at MLA Conference, almost everyone could share an example of materials that had been challenged.

Michigan libraries that receive a formal Request for Reconsideration form, and have completed the process of committee review, board recommendation, and final determination, are encouraged to report the challenge to the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. The challenge reporting form, http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/report, is a simple, yet important way of sharing this information and accessing resources to support efforts that strengthen the freedom to read.

Michigan library staff who are interested in issues related to intellectual freedom are also encouraged to join and participate in the MLA Intellectual Freedom Interest Group: http://www.milibraries.org/membership/interest-groups/.