Using the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "National School Library Standards," and the essential questions developed out of the author's work on the Emerging Leaders project "Defending Intellectual Freedom LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries" resource guide, readers are taken through applying essential questions to think about intellectual freedom in the face of book challenges. The six Shared Foundations of Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage raise essential questions that could help both individuals and the profession become stronger defenders of intellectual freedom and LGBTQ+ materials.