ALA STATEMENTS

                  Library Bill of Rights and Its Interpretations

	The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are  forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

I.	Books and other library resources should be provided for  the interest,  information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. 
II.	Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed         because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. 
III.	Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of  their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. 
IV.	Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups  concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression  and free access to ideas. 
V.	A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or  abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. 
VI.	Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms  available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the
beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting  their use. 
 	Adopted June 18, 1948.   Amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980,     inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996,   by the ALA Council.
            
Statement on Labeling:  An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	Labeling is the practice of describing or designating materials by affixing a prejudicial label and/or segregating them by a prejudicial system. The American Library Association opposes these means of predisposing people’s attitudes toward library materials for the following reasons: 
1.	Labeling is an attempt to prejudice attitudes and as such, it is a censor’s tool. 
2.	Some find it easy and even proper, according to their ethics, to establish criteria for judging publications as objectionable. However, injustice and  ignorance rather than justice and enlightenment result from such practices,  and the American Library Association opposes the establishment of such criteria. 
3.	Libraries do not advocate the ideas found in their collections. The presence of books and other resources in a library does not indicate endorsement of  their contents by the library. 
	A variety of private organizations promulgate rating systems and/or review  materials as a means of advising either their members or the general public concerning their opinions of the contents and suitability or appropriate age for use of certain books, films, recordings, or other materials. For the library to adopt or enforce any of these private systems, to attach such ratings to library materials, to  include them in bibliographic records, library catalogs, or other finding aids, or otherwise to endorse them would violate the Library Bill of Rights. 
	While some attempts have been made to adopt these systems into law, the constitutionality of such measures is extremely questionable. If such legislation is passed which applies within a library’s jurisdiction, the library should seek competent legal advice concerning its applicability to library operations. 
	Publishers, industry groups, and distributors sometimes add ratings to material or
 include them as part of their packaging. Librarians should not endorse such  practices. However, removing or obliterating such ratings—if placed there by or with permission of the copyright holder—could constitute expurgation, which is  also unacceptable. 
	 The American Library Association opposes efforts which aim at closing any path  to knowledge. This statement, however, does not exclude the adoption of organizational schemes designed as directional aids or to facilitate access to  materials. 
	Adopted July 13, 1951. Amended June 25, 1971; July 1, 1981; June 26, 1990,   by the ALA Council. 

Access for Children and Young  People to Videotapes and Other Non-print Formats:  An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	 Library collections of videotapes, motion pictures, and other non-print formats raise a number of intellectual freedom issues, especially regarding minors. 
            The interests of young people, like those of adults, are not limited by subject, theme, or level of sophistication. Librarians have a responsibility to ensure young people have access to materials and services that reflect diversity sufficient to meet their needs. 
             To guide librarians and others in resolving these issues, the American Library
Association provides the following guidelines. 
              Article V of the Library Bill of Rights says, “A person’s right to use a library
 should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.” 
             ALA’s Free Access to Libraries for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights states: 
             The “right to use a library” includes free access to, and unrestricted use of, all the services, materials, and facilities the library has to offer. Every  restriction on access to, and use of, library resources, based solely on the chronological age, educational level, or legal emancipation of users violates Article V. 
	Parents—and only parents—have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children—and only their children—to library  resources. Parents or legal guardians who do not want their children to have access to certain library services, materials or facilities, should so advise their children. Librarians and governing bodies cannot assume the  role of parents or the functions of parental authority in the private relationship between parent and child. Librarians and governing bodies have a public and professional obligation to provide equal access to all library resources for all library users. 
            Policies which set minimum age limits for access to videotapes and/or other   audiovisual materials and equipment, with or without parental permission, abridge library use for minors. Further, age limits based on the cost of the materials are  unacceptable. Unless directly and specifically prohibited by law from circulating certain motion pictures and video productions to minors, librarians should apply  the same standards to circulation of these materials as are applied to books and other materials. 
             Recognizing that libraries cannot act in loco parentis, ALA acknowledges and                  supports the exercise by parents of their responsibility to guide their own children’s reading and viewing. Published reviews of films and videotapes and/or reference works which provide information about the content, subject matter, and recommended audiences can be made available in conjunction with non-print collections to assist parents in guiding their children without implicating the library in censorship. This material may include information provided by video producers and distributors, promotional material on videotape packaging, and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings if they are included on the tape or in the packaging by the original publisher and/or if they appear in  review sources or reference works included in the library’s collection. Marking out or removing ratings information from videotape packages constitutes expurgation or censorship. 
            MPAA and other rating services are private advisory codes and have no legal               standing*. For the library to add such ratings to the materials if they are not  already there, to post a list of such ratings with a collection, or to attempt to enforce such ratings through circulation policies or other procedures constitutes  labeling, “an attempt to prejudice attitudes” about the material, and is unacceptable. The application of locally generated ratings schemes intended to provide content warnings to library users is also inconsistent with the Library Bill of Rights. 
            Adopted June 28, 1989, by the ALA Council; the quotation from Free Access to
Libraries for Minors was changed after Council adopted the July 3, 1991, revision of that Interpretation.                  

                      Free Access to Libraries for Minors:
                An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

	Library policies and procedures which effectively deny minors equal access to all library resources available to other users violate the Library Bill of Rights. The American Library Association opposes all attempts to restrict access to library services, materials, and facilities based on the age of library users. 
	Article V of the Library Bill of Rights states, “A person’s right to use a library  should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.”  The “right to use a library” includes free access to, and unrestricted use of, all the services, materials, and facilities the library has to offer. Every restriction on access to, and use of, library resources, based solely on the chronological age, educational level, or legal emancipation of users violates Article V. 
	Libraries are charged with the mission of developing resources to meet the
diverse information needs and interests of the communities they serve. Services,  materials, and facilities which fulfill the needs and interests of library users at different stages in their personal development are a necessary part of library resources. The needs and interests of each library user, and resources appropriate to meet those needs and interests, must be determined on an individual basis. Librarians cannot predict what resources will best fulfill the needs and interests of any individual user based on a single criterion such as chronological age, level of education, or legal emancipation. 
	The selection and development of library resources should not be diluted because of minors having the same access to library resources as adult users. Institutional self-censorship diminishes the credibility of the library in the community, and restricts access for all library users. 
 	Librarians and governing bodies should not resort to age restrictions on access to library resources in an effort to avoid actual or anticipated objections from parents or anyone else. The mission, goals, and objectives of libraries do not authorize librarians or governing bodies to assume, abrogate, or overrule the rights and responsibilities of parents or legal guardians. Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that  parents—and only parents—have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children—and only their  Children—to library resources. Parents or legal guardians who do not want their children to have access to certain library services, materials or facilities, should so advise their children. Librarians and governing bodies cannot assume the role of parents or the functions of parental authority in the private relationship between parent and child. Librarians and governing bodies have a public and professional obligation to provide equal access to all library resources for all library users.  
	Librarians have a professional commitment to ensure that all members of the community they serve have free and equal access to the entire range of library resources regardless of content, approach, format, or amount of detail. This principle of library service applies equally to all users, minors as well as adults. Librarians and governing bodies must uphold this principle in order to provide adequate and effective service to minors. 
	Adopted June 30, 1972; amended July 1, 1981; July 3, 1991, by the ALA Council. 

Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

                                        Introduction
 	The world is in the midst of an electronic communications revolution. Based on its constitutional, ethical, and historical heritage, American librarianship is uniquely positioned to address the broad range of information issues being raised in this revolution. In particular, librarians address intellectual freedom from a strong ethical base and an abiding commitment to the preservation of the individual’s  rights. 
	Freedom of expression is an inalienable human right and the foundation for self-government. Freedom of expression encompasses the freedom of speech and the corollary right to receive information. These rights extend to minors as well as adults. Libraries and librarians exist to facilitate the exercise of these rights by selecting, producing, providing access to, identifying, retrieving, organizing,  providing instruction in the use of, and preserving recorded expression regardless  of the format or technology. 
	The American Library Association expresses these basic principles of librarianship in its Code of Ethics and in the Library Bill of Rights and its Interpretations. These serve to guide librarians and library governing bodies in addressing issues of intellectual freedom that arise when the library provides access to electronic information, services, and networks. 
	Issues arising from the still-developing technology of computer-mediated    information generation, distribution, and retrieval need to be approached and regularly reviewed from a context of constitutional principles and ALA policies so that fundamental and traditional tenets of librarianship are not swept away. 
	Electronic information flows across boundaries and barriers despite attempts by
individuals, governments, and private entities to channel or control it. Even so, many people, for reasons of technology, infrastructure, or socio-economic status  do not have access to electronic information. 
	In making decisions about how to offer access to electronic information, each library should consider its mission, goals, objectives, cooperative agreements, and the needs of the entire community it serves. 

                                   The Rights of Users
	All library system and network policies, procedures or regulations relating to                electronic resources and services should be scrutinized for potential violation of user rights. 
	User policies should be developed according to the policies and guidelines established by the American Library Association, including Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of Policies, Regulations, and Procedures Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services and Facilities.
	Users should not be restricted or denied access for expressing or receiving
constitutionally protected speech. Users’ access should not be changed without due process, including, but not limited to, formal notice and a means of appeal. 
	Although electronic systems may include distinct property rights and security
concerns, such elements may not be employed as a subterfuge to deny users’ access to information. Users have the right to be free of unreasonable limitations or conditions set by libraries, librarians, system administrators, vendors, network  service providers, or others. Contracts, agreements, and licenses entered into by  libraries on behalf of their users should not violate this right. Users also have a   right to information, training and assistance necessary to operate the hardware and software provided by the library. 
	Users have both the right of confidentiality and the right of privacy. The library
should uphold these rights by policy, procedure, and practice. Users should be advised, however, that because security is technically difficult to achieve, electronic transactions and files could become public. 
	The rights of users who are minors shall in no way be abridged.

                                     Equity of Access
	Electronic information, services, and networks provided directly or indirectly by
the library should be equally, readily and equitably accessible to all library users. American Library Association policies oppose the charging of user fees for the
provision of information services by all libraries and information services that receive their major support from public funds (50.3; 53.1.14; 60.1; 61.1). It should be the goal of all libraries to develop policies concerning access to electronic resources in light of Economic Barriers to Information Access: an Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights and Guidelines for the Development and Implementation of Policies, Regulations and Procedures Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services and Facilities.            

		Information Resources and Access
	Providing connections to global information, services, and networks is not the
same as selecting and purchasing material for a library collection. Determining the  accuracy or authenticity of electronic information may present special problems.
	Some information accessed electronically may not meet a library’s selection or collection development policy. It is, therefore, left to each user to determine what  is appropriate. Parents and legal guardians who are concerned about their children’s use of electronic resources should provide guidance to their own children. 
	Libraries and librarians should not deny or limit access to information available via  electronic resources because of its allegedly controversial content or because of the librarian’s personal beliefs or fear of confrontation. Information retrieved or utilized electronically should be considered constitutionally protected unless determined otherwise by a court with appropriate jurisdiction. 
	Libraries, acting within their mission and objectives, must support access to
information on all subjects that serve the needs or interests of each user, regardless of the user’s age or the content of the material. Libraries have an obligation to provide access to government information available in electronic format. Libraries and librarians should not deny access to information solely on the grounds that it is perceived to lack value. 
	In order to prevent the loss of information, and to preserve the cultural record,
libraries may need to expand their selection or collection development policies to ensure preservation, in appropriate formats, of information obtained electronically.
	Electronic resources provide unprecedented opportunities to expand the scope of information available to users. Libraries and librarians should provide access to  information presenting all points of view. The provision of access does not imply  sponsorship or endorsement. These principles pertain to electronic resources no less than they do to the more traditional sources of information in libraries.

             Adopted by the ALA Council, January 24, 1996 
               
Questions and Answers:  Access to Electronic  Information,  Services, and Networks:  An Interpretation of  the Library Bill of Rights   June 5, 1997

	In January of 1996, the American Library Association (ALA) approved Access
to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee then convened to  produce a sample set of questions and answers to clarify the implications and applications of this Interpretation. 
	 Many of the following questions will not have a single answer. Each library must  develop policies in keeping with its mission, objectives, and users. Librarians must  also be cognizant of local legislation and judicial decisions that may affect  implementation of their policies. All librarians are professionally obligated to strive for free access to information. 
                                         INTRODUCTION
1.	What are the factors that uniquely position American librarianship to provide access to electronic information? 
	Electronic media offer an unprecedented forum for the sharing of information and ideas envisioned by the Founding Fathers in the U.S. Constitution. Their vision cannot be realized unless libraries provide free access to electronic information, services, and networks. 
	Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and others laid the basis for a government that made education, access to information, and toleration for dissent cornerstones of a great democratic experiment. With geographic  expansion and the rise of a mass press, American government facilitated these constitutional principles through the creation of such innovative institutions as the public school, land grant colleges, and the library. By the close of the 19th century, professionally trained librarians developed specialized techniques in support of their democratic mission. In the 1930’s, the Library Bill of Rights acknowledged librarians’ ethical  responsibility to the Constitution’s promise of access to information in all formats to all people. 
2.	What is the library’s role in facilitating freedom of expression in an  electronic arena? 
	Libraries are a national information infrastructure providing people with
 access and participation in the electronic arena. Libraries are essential to  the informed debate demanded by the Constitution and for the provision of  access to electronic information resources to those who might otherwise be  excluded. 
3.	Why should libraries extend access to electronic information  resources to minors? 
	Those libraries with a mission that includes service to minors should make available to them a full range of information necessary to become thinking adults and the informed electorate envisioned in the Constitution. The opportunity to participate responsibly in the electronic arena is also vital for nurturing the information literacy skills demanded by the Information Age.
	Only parents and legal guardians have the right and responsibility to restrict their children’s and only their own children’s access to any electronic resource. 
4.	Do ALA intellectual freedom and ethics policies apply to the provision of access to electronic information, services and  networks? 
	Yes, because information is information regardless of format. Library  resources in electronic form are increasingly recognized as vital to the  provision of information that is the core of the library’s role in society. 
5.	Does the ALA require that libraries adopt the Library Bill of Rights or the ALA Code of Ethics? 
	No. ALA has no authority to govern or regulate libraries. ALA’s policies  are voluntary and serve only as guidelines for local policy development. 
 6.	Does ALA censure libraries or librarians who do not adhere to or  adopt the Library Bill of Rights or the ALA Code of Ethics? 
	 No. 
7.	Do libraries need to develop policies about access to electronic information, services, and networks? 
	Yes. Libraries should formally adopt and periodically reexamine policies  that develop from the missions and goals specific to their institutions. 

                                          RIGHTS OF USERS
8.	What can we do when vendors/network providers/licensors attempt to limit or edit access to electronic information? 
	Librarians should be strong advocates of open access to information  regardless of storage media. When purchasing electronic information  resources, libraries should thus attempt to empower themselves during  contract negotiations with vendors/network providers/licensors to ensure  the least restrictive access in current and future products. 
	Libraries themselves along with any parent institution and consortia
 partners should also communicate their intellectual freedom concerns and  public responsibilities in the production of their own electronic information resources. 
9.	How can libraries help to ensure library user confidentiality in  regard to electronic information access? 
	Librarians must be aware of patron confidentiality laws on library records for their particular state and community. In accordance with such laws and  professional ethical responsibilities, librarians should ensure and routinely review policies and procedures for maintaining confidentiality of personally identifiable use of library materials, facilities, or services. These especially  include electronic circulation and online use records. Hence, libraries and  their consortiums should ensure that their automated circulation systems,  other electronic information resources, and outside provider services strive  to conform to applicable laws and the library’s ethical duty to protect confidentiality of users. 
	Electronic records on individual use patterns should also be strictly safeguarded. Software and protocols should be designed for the automatic and timely deletion of personal identifiers from the tracking elements within electronic databases. System access to computer terminals or other stations should also be designed to eliminate indicators of the research strategy or use patterns of any identifiable patron. For example, the efforts of the last user of a terminal or program should not remain on the monitor or be easily retrievable from a buffer or cache by subsequent users. Library or institutional monitoring for reserving time on the machines and the amount of time spent in electronic information resources should be similarly circumspect in protecting the patron’s privacy rights. 
	Libraries and their institutions should provide physical environments that facilitate user privacy for accessing electronic information. For instance, libraries should consider placing terminals, printers, and access stations so that user privacy is enhanced. Where resources are limited, libraries should consider time, place and manner restrictions.  Finally, libraries must be sensitive to the special needs for confidential access to electronic information sources of physically challenged patrons. 
10.	Our library is just one of many autonomous institutions in a consortium. How can we be sure that our cooperating partners honor the confidentiality of our library users in a shared network environment? 
	This is a contractual and legal matter. The importance of confidentiality of personally identifiable information about library users transcends individual  institutional and type of library boundaries. Libraries should establish and regularly review interlibrary and interagency cooperative agreements to ensure clear confidentiality policies and procedures, which obligate all members of a cooperative, or all departments and branches within a parent institutions. 
11.	Do libraries need an “acceptable use policy” for electronic  information access? If so, what elements should be considered for  inclusion? 
	Access questions are rooted in Constitutional mandates and a Library Bill of Rights that reach across all media. These should be professionally interpreted through general service policies that also relate to the specific  mission and objectives of the institution. Such general policies can benefit from the legacy and precedents within the ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Manual, including new interpretations for electronic resources.  
 	Reasonable restrictions placed on the time, place, and manner of library access should be used only when necessary to achieve substantial library managerial objectives and only in the least restrictive manner possible. In other words, libraries should focus on developing  policies that ensure broad access to information resources of all kinds, citing as few  restrictions as possible, rather than developing more limited “acceptable use” policies that seek to define limited ranges of what kinds of information can be  accessed by which patrons and in what manner. 
12.	Why shouldn’t parental permission be required for minor access to electronic information? 
	As with any other information format, parents are responsible for determining what they wish their own children to access electronically.
	Libraries may need to help parents understand their options during the evolving information revolution, but should not be in the policing position of enforcing parental restrictions within the library. In addition, libraries cannot use children as an excuse to violate their Constitutional duty to help provide for an educated adult electorate. 
	The Library Bill of Rights--its various Interpretations (especially Free  Access to Libraries for Minors; Access for Children and Young People to Videotapes and Other Non-print Formats), and ALA’s Guidelines for the  Development and Implementation of Policies, Regulations and Procedures  Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services and Facilities--also  endorse the rights of youth to library resources and information as part of  their inalienable rights and the passage to informed adulthood. Electronic  information access is no different in these regards. 
13.	Does our library have to make provisions for patrons with disabilities to access electronic information? 
	Yes. The Americans With Disabilities Act and other federal and state laws  forbid providers of public services, whether publicly or privately governed, from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. All library information services, including access to electronic information, should be accessible to patrons regardless of disability. 
	 Many methods are available and under development to make electronic  information universally accessible, including adaptive devices, software, and human assistance. Libraries must consider such tools in trying to meet  the needs of persons with disabilities in the design or provision of electronic  information services. 

                                          EQUITY OF ACCESS
14.	My library recognizes different classes of users. Is this a problem? 
	The mission and objectives of some libraries recognizes distinctions between classes of users. For example, academic libraries may have different categories of users (e.g., faculty, students, others). Public libraries  may distinguish between residents and non-residents. School library media centers embrace curricular support as their primary mission; some have further expanded access to their collections. Special libraries vary their access policies depending on their definition of primary clientele. Establishing different levels of users should not automatically assume the need for different levels of access. 
15.	Does the statement that “electronic information, services, and networks provided directly or indirectly by the library should be equally, readily, and equitably available to all library users” mean that exactly the same service must be available to anyone who wants to use the library? 
	No. It means that access to services should not be denied on the basis of an arbitrary classification, for example, age or physical ability to use the equipment. This phrase, from Economic Barriers to Information Access:
	An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights, clarifies that simply making printed information sources available to those unable to pay while charging for electronic information sources abridges the principles of equality and equity. 
16.	Which is a higher priority to offer more information or not to charge fees? Does this mean my library cannot charge fees? 
	The higher priority is free services. Charging fees creates barriers to access. That is why ALA has urged librarians, in “Economic Barriers to Information Access,” to “resist the temptation to impose user fees to alleviate financial pressures, at long term cost to  institutional integrity and public confidence in libraries.” 
17.	Does “provision of information services” include printouts? 
 	Whenever possible, all services should be without fees. Any decision to charge for service should be based on whether the fee creates a barrier to  access. For example, some libraries have long provided free access to printed magazines while charging for photocopies. Translated to the electronic environment, this means that some libraries will provide the text on the screen at no charge, but might charge for printouts. 
18.	If my library has no “major support from public funds,” can we then
charge fees? 
	Yes, but ALA advocates achieving equitable access and avoiding and eliminating barriers to information and ideas whenever possible. 
19.	What do you do if one person monopolizes the equipment? 
	This is a policy issue to be established within each library according to its mission and goals. Time, place, and manner restrictions should be applied equitably to all users. 

                               INFORMATION RESOURCES AND ACCESS
20.	How does providing connections to “global information, services,
and networks” differ from selecting and purchasing material for an individual library? 
	Selection begins with the institution’s mission and objectives. The librarian performs an initial selection from available resources, and then the user makes a choice from that collection. Many electronic resources, such as CDs, are acquired for the library’s collection in this traditional manner. Collections consist of fixed discrete items. 
	When libraries provide Internet access, they provide a means for people to
use the wealth of information stored on computers throughout the world, whose ever-changing contents are created, maintained and made available beyond the library. The library also provides a means for the individual user to choose for him- or herself the resources accessed and to interact electronically with other computer users throughout the world. 
21.How can libraries use their selection expertise to help patrons use  the Internet? 
	Libraries should play a proactive role in guiding parents to the most effective locations and answers. Library websites are one starting place to the vast resources of the Internet. All libraries are encouraged to develop websites, including links, to Internet resources to meet the information needs of their users. These links should be made within the existing mission, collection development policy and selection criteria of the library. 
22.	Should the library deny access to Constitutionally protected speech on the Internet in order to protect its users or reflect community  values? 
	No. The library should not deny access to constitutionally-protected  speech. People have a right to receive constitutionally-protected speech, and any restriction of those rights imposed by a library violates the U.S. Constitution. 
23.	Does using software that filters or blocks access to electronic information resources on the Internet violate this policy? 
	The use of filters implies a promise to protect the user from objectionable material. This task is impossible given current technology and the inability to define absolutely the information to be blocked. 
	The filters available would place the library in a position of restricting access to information. The library’s role is to provide access to information from which individuals choose the material for themselves. 
	Technology could be developed that would allow individual users of public terminals to exercise a choice to impose restrictions on their own searches.  If these types of filters become available, libraries should carefully scrutinize  them in light of their mission and goals. 
24.	Why do libraries have an obligation to provide government  information in electronic format? 
	The role of libraries is to provide ideas and information across the spectrum of social and political thought and to make these ideas and this information available to anyone who needs or wants it. In a democracy  libraries have a particular obligation to provide library users with  information necessary for participation in self-governance. Because access  to government information is rapidly shifting to electronic format only,  libraries should plan to continue to provide access to information in this format, as well. 
25.	What is the library’s role in the preservation of electronic formats? 
	The online electronic medium is ephemeral and information may disappear
without efforts to save it. When libraries create information, they have the  responsibility to preserve and archive it, if it meets the library’s mission statement. 
26.	Does “must support access to information on all subjects...” mean a library must  provide material on all subjects for all users, even if those users are not part of the library’s community of users or the  material is not appropriate for the library? 
            The institution’s mission and objectives will drive these decisions. 
 27.	The Interpretation states that libraries should not deny access to resources solely because they are perceived to lack value. Does this mean the library must buy or obtain every electronic resource available? 
	No. The institution’s mission and objectives will drive these decisions. 
28.	How can the library avoid becoming a game room and still provide access to this material? 
	Libraries sometimes seek to prohibit the playing of computer games because the demand for terminals exceeds the supply. The libraries impose time, place or manner restrictions to the use of electronic equipment and resources. Such restrictions should not be based on the viewpoint expressed in the information being accessed. 
29.	Do copyright laws apply to electronic information? 
	Yes. Librarians have an ethical responsibility to keep abreast of copyright and fair use rights. This responsibility applies to: 
1.	the library’s own online publications, 
2.	contractual obligations with authors and publishers, 
3.	informing library users of copyright laws which apply to their use of  electronic 	information. 

Access to Library Resources  and Services Regardless of  Gender or
Sexual Orientation:  An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	American libraries exist and function within the context of a body of laws derived from the United States Constitution and the First Amendment. The Library Bill of Rights embodies the basic policies which guide libraries in the provision of services, materials and programs. 
	In the preamble to its Library Bill of Rights, the American Library Association affirms that all [emphasis added] libraries are forums for information and ideas. This concept of forum and its accompanying principle of inclusiveness pervade all six articles of the Library Bill of Rights. 
	The American Library Association stringently and unequivocally maintains that
libraries and librarians have an obligation to resist efforts that systematically exclude materials dealing with any subject matter, including gender, homosexuality, bisexuality, lesbianism, heterosexuality, gay lifestyles, or any facet of sexual orientation: 
	Article I of the Library Bill of Rights states that “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.” The Association affirms that books and other materials coming from gay presses, gay, lesbian, or bisexual authors or other creators, and materials dealing with gay lifestyles are protected by the Library Bill of Rights.  Librarians are obligated by the Library Bill of Rights to endeavor to select materials without regard to the gender or sexual orientation of their creators by using the criteria identified in their written, approved selection policies (ALA policy 53.1.5). 
	Article II maintains that “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials  should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” Library services, materials, and programs representing diverse points of view on gender or sexual orientation should be considered for purchase and inclusion in library collections and programs. (ALA policies 53.1.1, 53.1.9, and 53.1.11). The Association affirms that attempts to proscribe or remove materials dealing with gay or lesbian life  without regard to the written, approved selection policy violate this tenet and constitute censorship. 
	Articles III and IV mandate that libraries “challenge censorship” and cooperate with those “resisting abridgment of free expression and free  access to ideas.” 
	 Article V holds that “A person’s right to use a library should not be denied
or abridged because of origin, age, background or views.” In the Library Bill of Rights and all its interpretations, it is intended that: “origin” encompasses all the characteristics of individuals that are inherent in the circumstances of their birth; “age” encompasses all the characteristics of   individuals that are inherent in their levels of development and maturity;  “background” encompasses all the characteristics of individuals that are a result of their life experiences; and “views” encompasses all the opinions and beliefs held and expressed by individuals. 
	Therefore, Article V of the Library Bill of Rights mandates that library services, materials, and programs be available to all members of the community the library serves, without regard to gender or sexual orientation. 
	 Article VI maintains that “Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities  available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of  individuals or groups requesting their use.” This protection extends to all groups and members of the community the library serves, without regard to gender or sexual orientation. 
	The American Library Association holds that any attempt, be it legal or extra-legal, to regulate or suppress library services, materials, or programs must  be resisted in order that protected expression is not abridged. Librarians have a  professional obligation to ensure that all library users have free and equal access  to the entire range of library services, materials, and programs. Therefore, the Association strongly opposes any effort to limit access to information and ideas. The Association also encourages librarians to proactively support the First Amendment rights of all library users, including gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. 

	 Adopted by the ALA Council, June 30, 1993. 
                 
                Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	Many libraries provide meeting rooms for individuals and groups as part of a program of service. Article VI of the Library Bill of Rights states that such facilities should be made available to the public served by the given library “on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.” 
                  Libraries maintaining meeting room facilities should develop and publish policy statements governing use. These statements can properly define time, place, or manner of use; such qualifications should not pertain to the content of a meeting or to the beliefs or affiliations of the sponsors. These statements should be made available in any commonly used language within the community served. 
	If meeting rooms in libraries supported by public funds are made available to the
general public for non-library sponsored events, the library may not exclude any group based on the subject matter to be discussed or based on the ideas that the group advocates. For example, if a library allows charities and sports clubs to discuss their activities in library meeting rooms, then the library should not exclude partisan political or religious groups from discussing their activities in the same facilities. If a library opens its meeting rooms to a wide variety of civic organizations, then the library may not deny access to a religious organization.
	Libraries may wish to post a permanent notice near the meeting room stating that  the library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of meetings or meeting  room users. 
	Written policies for meeting room use should be stated in inclusive rather than 
exclusive terms. For example, a policy that the library’s facilities are open “to organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable activities”  is an inclusive statement of the limited uses to which the facilities may be put. This  defined limitation would permit religious groups to use the facilities because they engage in intellectual activities, but would exclude most commercial uses of the  facility. 
	A publicly supported library may limit use of its meeting rooms to strictly “library-related” activities, provided that the limitation is clearly circumscribed and is viewpoint neutral. 
	Written policies may include limitations on frequency of use, and whether or not
meetings held in library meeting rooms must be open to the public. If state and local laws permit private as well as public sessions of meetings in libraries,  libraries may choose to offer both options. The same standard should be applicable to all. 
	 If meetings are open to the public, libraries should include in their meeting room  policy statement a section which addresses admission fees. If admission fees are  permitted, libraries shall seek to make it possible that these fees do not limit  access to individuals who may be unable to pay, but who wish to attend the  meeting. Article V of the Library Bill of Rights states that “a person’s right to  use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age,  background, or views.” It is inconsistent with Article V to restrict indirectly access  to library meeting rooms based on an individual’s or group’s ability to pay for that  access. 
	 Adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council. 

           Exhibit Spaces  and Bulletin Boards: An
         Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	Libraries often provide exhibit spaces and bulletin boards. The uses made of these spaces should conform to the Library Bill of Rights: Article I states, “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.” Article II states, “Materials should not be  proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” Article VI maintains that exhibit space should be made available “on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.” 
	In developing library exhibits, staff members should endeavor to present a broad spectrum of opinion and a variety of viewpoints. Libraries should not shrink from developing exhibits because of controversial content or because of the beliefs or affiliations of those whose work is represented. Just as libraries do not endorse the viewpoints of those whose works are represented in their collections, libraries also do not endorse the beliefs or viewpoints of topics which may be the subject of library exhibits. 
	Exhibit areas often are made available for use by community groups. Libraries should formulate a written policy for the use of these exhibit areas to assure that space is provided on an equitable basis to all groups which request it. 
	Written policies for exhibit space use should be stated in inclusive rather than exclusive terms. For example, a policy that the library’s exhibit space is open “to organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable activities” is an inclusive statement of the limited uses of the exhibit space. This defined limitation would permit religious groups to use the exhibit space because they engage in intellectual activities, but would exclude most commercial uses of the exhibit space. 
	A publicly supported library may limit use of its exhibit space to strictly “library-related” activities, provided that the limitation is clearly circumscribed and  is viewpoint neutral. 
	Libraries may include in this policy rules regarding the time, place, and manner of  use of the exhibit space, so long as the rules are content-neutral and are applied in the same manner to all groups wishing to use the space. A library may wish to limit access to exhibit space to groups within the community served by the library.
	 This practice is acceptable provided that the same rules and regulations apply to everyone, and that exclusion is not made on the basis of the doctrinal, religious, or political beliefs of the potential users. 
	The library should not censor or remove an exhibit because some members of the community may disagree with its content. Those who object to the content of any exhibit held at the library should be able to submit their complaint and/or their own exhibit proposal to be judged according to the policies established by the library. 
	Libraries may wish to post a permanent notice near the exhibit area stating that  the library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of exhibits or exhibitors. 
	Libraries which make bulletin boards available to public groups for posting  notices of public interest should develop criteria for the use of these spaces based on the same considerations as those outlined above. Libraries may wish to develop criteria regarding the size of material to be displayed, the length of time  materials may remain on the bulletin board, the frequency with which material may be posted for the same group, and the geographic area from which notices will be  accepted. 
	 Adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council. 
                
         Economic Barriers to Information Access: An 
	Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	A democracy presupposes an informed citizenry. The First Amendment mandates the right of all persons to free expression, and the corollary right to receive the constitutionally protected expression of others. The publicly supported library provides free and equal access to information for all people of the community the library serves. While the roles, goals and objectives of publicly supported libraries may differ, they share this common mission. 
	 The library’s essential mission must remain the first consideration for librarians and   governing bodies faced with economic pressures and competition for funding.  In support of this mission, the American Library Association has enumerated certain principles of library services in the Library Bill of Rights. 

                 Principles Governing Fines, Fees, and User Charges
	 Article I of the Library Bill of Rights states: 
	Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. 
	 Article V of the Library Bill of Rights states: 
	A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. 
	The American Library Association opposes the charging of user fees for the provision of information by all libraries and information services that receive their major support from public funds. All information resources that are provided directly or indirectly by the library, regardless of technology, format, or methods of delivery, should be readily, equally and equitably accessible to all library users. 
	Libraries that adhere to these principles systematically monitor their programs of service for potential barriers to access and strive to eliminate such barriers when they occur. All library policies and procedures, particularly those involving fines, fees, or other user charges, should be scrutinized for potential barriers to access.
	All services should be designed and implemented with care, so as not to infringe on or interfere with the provision or delivery of information and resources for all users. Services should be re-evaluated on a regular basis to ensure that the library’s basic mission remains uncompromised. 
	Librarians and governing bodies should look for alternative models and methods of library administration that minimize distinctions among users based on their economic status or financial condition. They should resist the temptation to impose user fees to alleviate financial pressures, at long term cost to institutional  integrity and public confidence in libraries. 
	Library services that involve the provision of information, regardless of format,  technology, or method of delivery, should be made available to all library users on  an equal and equitable basis. Charging fees for the use of library collections, services, programs, or facilities that were purchased with public funds raises barriers to access. Such fees effectively abridge or deny access for some members of the community because they reinforce distinctions among users based on their ability and willingness to pay. 

                         Principles Governing Conditions of Funding
	Article II of the Library Bill of Rights states: 
	Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. 
	Article III of the Library Bill of Rights states: 
	Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. 
	 Article IV of the Library Bill of Rights states: 
	Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas. 
	The American Library Association opposes any legislative or regulatory attempt to impose content restrictions on library resources, or to limit user access to information, as a condition of funding for publicly supported libraries and information services. 
	The First Amendment guarantee of freedom of expression is violated when the right to receive that expression is subject to arbitrary restrictions based on content. 
	Librarians and governing bodies should examine carefully any terms or conditions attached to library funding and should oppose attempts to limit through such conditions full and equal access to information because of content. This principle applies equally to private gifts or bequests and to public funds. In particular, librarians and governing bodies have an obligation to reject such restrictions when the effect of the restriction is to limit equal and equitable access to information. 
	Librarians and governing bodies should cooperate with all efforts to create a community consensus that publicly supported libraries require funding unfettered by restrictions. Such a consensus supports the library mission to provide the free and unrestricted exchange of information and ideas necessary to a functioning democracy. 
	The Association’s historic position in this regard is stated clearly in a number of Association policies: 50.4 “Free Access to Information,” 50.8 “Financing of   Libraries,” 51.2 “Equal Access to Library Service,” 51.3 “Intellectual Freedom,”   53 “Intellectual Freedom Policies,” 59.1 “Policy Objectives,” and 60 “Library  Services for the Poor.” 
	 Adopted by the ALA Council, June 30, 1993. 
                  
                Restricted Access to  Library Materials:
           An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	Libraries are a traditional forum for the open exchange of information. Attempts to restrict access to library materials violate the basic tenets of the Library Bill of Rights. 
	Historically, attempts have been made to limit access by relegating materials into segregated collections. These attempts are in violation of established policy. Such collections are often referred to by a variety of names, including “closed shelf,” “locked case,” “adults only,” “restricted shelf,” or “high demand.” Access to some materials also may require a monetary fee or financial deposit. In any situation which restricts access to certain materials, a barrier is placed between the patron and those materials. That barrier may be age related, linguistic, economic, or psychological in nature. 
	Because materials placed in restricted collections often deal with controversial, unusual, or “sensitive” subjects, having to ask a librarian or circulation clerk for them may be embarrassing or inhibiting for patrons desiring the materials. Needing to ask for materials may pose a language barrier or a staff service barrier.
	Because restricted collections often are composed of materials which some library patrons consider “objectionable,” the potential user may be predisposed to  think of the materials as “objectionable” and, therefore, are reluctant to ask for them. 
	Barriers between the materials and the patron which are psychological, or are affected by language skills, are nonetheless limitations on access to information.
	 Even when a title is listed in the catalog with a reference to its restricted status, a
 barrier is placed between the patron and the publication (see also “Statement on  Labeling”). 
	There may be, however, countervailing factors to establish policies to protect library materials--specifically, for reasons of physical preservation including  protection from theft or mutilation. Any such policies must be carefully formulated and administered with extreme attention to the principles of intellectual freedom. This caution is also in keeping with ALA policies, such as “Evaluating Library Collections,” “Free Access to Libraries for Minors,” and the “Preservation Policy.” 
	Finally, in keeping with the “Joint Statement on Access” of the American Library
Association and Society of American Archivists, restrictions that result from donor  agreements or contracts for special collections materials must be similarly circumscribed. Permanent exclusions are not acceptable. The overriding impetus  must be to work for free and unfettered access to all documentary heritage. 
	Adopted February 2, 1973; amended July 1, 1981; July 3, 1991, by the ALA  Council. 
                
               Library-Initiated Programs as a  Resource:
               An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	Library-initiated programs support the mission of the library by providing users with additional opportunities for information, education and recreation. Article 1 of the Library Bill of Rights states: “Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves.” 
	Library-initiated programs take advantage of library staff expertise, collections services and facilities to increase access to information and information resources.
	 Library-initiated programs introduce users and potential users to the resources of
 the library and to the library’s primary function as a facilitator of information  access. The library may participate in cooperative or joint programs with other agencies, organizations, institutions or individuals as part of its own effort to address information needs and to facilitate information access in the community the library serves. 
	Library-initiated programs on site and in other locations include, but are not limited to, speeches, community forums, discussion groups, demonstrations, displays, and live or media presentations. 
	Libraries serving multilingual or multicultural communities make efforts to accommodate the information needs of those for whom English is a second language. Library-initiated programs across language and cultural barriers introduce otherwise unserved populations to the resources of the library and provide access to information. 
	Library-initiated programs “should not be proscribed or removed (or canceled) because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” of the contents of the program or the views expressed by the participants, as stated in Article 2 of the Library Bill of Rights. Library sponsorship of a program does not constitute an endorsement of the content of the program or the views expressed by the participants, any more than the purchase of material for the library collection constitutes an endorsement of the contents of the material or the views of its creator. 
	Library-initiated programs are a library resource, and as such, are developed in  accordance with written guidelines, as approved and adopted by the library’s  policy-making body. These guidelines include an endorsement of the Library Bill of Rights and set forth the library’s commitment to free and open access to information and ideas for all users. 
	 Library staff select topics, speakers and resource materials for library-initiated  programs based on the interests and information needs of the community. Topics, speakers and resource materials are not excluded from library-initiated programs because of possible controversy. Concerns, questions or complaints about library-initiated program are handled according to the same written policy and procedures which govern reconsiderations of other library resources. 
	Library-initiated programs are offered free of charge and are open to all. Article 5 of the Library Bill of Rights states: “A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.” 
	The “right to use a library” encompasses all of the resources the library offers, including the right to attend library-initiated programs. Libraries do not deny or abridge access to library resources, including library-initiated programs, based on  an individual’s economic background and ability to pay. 
	Adopted January 27, 1982. Amended June 26, 1990, by the ALA Council. 

 	Diversity in Collection  Development:
         An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	 Throughout history, the focus of censorship has fluctuated from generation to generation. Books and other materials have not been selected or have been removed from library collections for many reasons, among which are prejudicial  language and ideas, political content, economic theory, social philosophies,  religious beliefs, sexual forms of expression, and other topics of a potentially controversial nature. 
	 Some examples of censorship may include removing or not selecting materials  because they are considered by some as racist or sexist; not purchasing conservative religious materials; not selecting materials about or by minorities because it is thought these groups or interests are not represented in a community; or not providing information on or materials from non-mainstream political entities.
	Librarians may seek to increase user awareness of materials on various social  concerns by many means, including, but not limited to, issuing bibliographies and presenting exhibits and programs. 
	 Librarians have a professional responsibility to be inclusive, not exclusive, in collection development and in the provision of interlibrary loan. Access to all materials legally obtainable should be assured to the user, and policies should not unjustly exclude materials even if they are offensive to the librarian or the user.
	Collection development should reflect the philosophy inherent in Article II of the Library Bill of Rights: “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” A balanced collection reflects a diversity of materials, not an equality of numbers.
  	Collection development responsibilities include selecting materials in the languages  in common use in the community which the library serves. Collection development and the selection of materials should be done according to professional standards and established selection and review procedures. 
	There are many complex facets to any issue, and variations of context in which  issues may be expressed, discussed, or interpreted. Librarians have a professional  responsibility to be fair, just, and equitable and to give all library users equal protection in guarding against violation of the library patron’s right to read, view, or listen to materials and resources protected by the First Amendment, no  matter what the viewpoint of the author, creator, or selector. Librarians have an obligation to protect library collections from removal of materials based on personal bias or prejudice, and to select and support the access to materials on all subjects that meet, as closely as possible, the needs and interests of all persons in the community which the library serves. This includes materials that reflect political, economic, religious, social, minority, and sexual issues. 
	 Intellectual freedom, the essence of equitable library services, provides for free  access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause, or movement may be explored. Toleration is meaningless without tolerance  for what some may consider detestable. Librarians cannot justly permit their own  preferences to limit their degree of tolerance in collection development, because  freedom is indivisible. 
	 Adopted July 14, 1982; amended January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council. 

	    Evaluating Library Collections: An 
	Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	The continuous review of library materials is necessary as a means of maintaining an active library collection of current interest to users. In the process, materials  may be added and physically deteriorated or obsolete materials may be replaced  or removed in accordance with the collection maintenance policy of a given
library and the needs of the community it serves. Continued evaluation is closely related to the goals and responsibilities of libraries and is a valuable tool of collection development. This procedure is not to be used as a convenient means  to remove materials presumed to be controversial or disapproved of by segments  of the community. Such abuse of the evaluation function violates the principles of intellectual freedom and is in opposition to the Preamble and Articles 1 and 2 of the Library Bill of Rights, which state: 
	The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are  forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic  policies should guide their services. 
I.	Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of  those contributing to their creation. 
II.	Libraries should provide materials and information presenting  all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval. 
                  The American Library Association opposes such “silent censorship” and strongly urges that libraries adopt guidelines setting forth the positive purposes and
principles of evaluation of materials in library collections. 
	Adopted February 2, 1973; amended July 1, 1981, by the ALA Council. 
                
                            Expurgation of Library Materials:
                An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	Expurgating library materials is a violation of the Library Bill of Rights. Expurgation as defined by this interpretation includes any deletion, excision,                  alteration, editing, or obliteration of any part(s) of books or other library  resources by the library, its agent, or its parent institution (if any). By such expurgation, the library is in effect denying access to the complete work and the entire spectrum of ideas that the work intended to express. Such action stands in violation of Articles 1, 2, and 3 of the Library Bill of Rights, which state that  “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation,” that “Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval,” and that “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” 
	The act of expurgation has serious implications. It involves a determination that it
is necessary to restrict access to the complete work. This is censorship. When a work is expurgated, under the assumption that certain portions of that work would be harmful to minors, the situation is no less serious. 
	Expurgation of any books or other library resources imposes a restriction, without
regard to the rights and desires of all library users, by limiting access to ideas and information. 
	Further, expurgation without written permission from the holder of the copyright on the material may violate the copyright provisions of the United States Code. 
	Adopted February 2, 1973; amended July 1, 1981; amended January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council. 

                         The Universal Right to  Free Expression:
                  An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

	Freedom of expression is an inalienable human right and the foundation for self-government. Freedom of expression encompasses the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and association, and the corollary right to receive  information. 
	The American Library Association endorses this principle, which is also set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United  Nations General Assembly. The Preamble of this document states that “. . . recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. . .” and “. . . the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people. . . .” 
	Article 18 of this document states: 
	Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. 
	Article 19 states: 
	Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers. 
	Article 20 states: 
1.	Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. 
2.	No one may be compelled to belong to an association. 
	We affirm our belief that these are inalienable rights of every person, regardless of origin, age, background, or views. We embody our professional commitment to these principles in the Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics, as adopted by the American Library Association. 
	We maintain that these are universal principles and should be applied by libraries and librarians throughout the world. The American Library Association’s policy on International Relations reflects these objectives:   “. . . to encourage the exchange, dissemination, and access to information and the unrestricted flow of library materials in all formats throughout the world.” 
	We know that censorship, ignorance, and limitations on the free flow of information are the tools of tyranny and oppression. We believe that ideas and information topple the walls of hate and fear and build bridges of cooperation and understanding far more effectively than weapons and armies. 
	The American Library Association is unswerving in its commitment to human
rights and intellectual freedom; the two are inseparably linked and inextricably entwined. Freedom of opinion and expression is not derived from or dependent on any form of government or political power. This right is inherent in every individual. It cannot be surrendered, nor can it be denied. True justice comes from the exercise of this right. 
	We recognize the power of information and ideas to inspire justice, to restore freedom and dignity to the oppressed, and to change the hearts and minds of the oppressors. 
	Courageous men and women, in difficult and dangerous circumstances throughout human history, have demonstrated that freedom lives in the human heart and cries out for justice even in the face of threats, enslavement, imprisonment, torture,
exile, and death. We draw inspiration from their example. They challenge us to remain steadfast in our most basic professional responsibility to promote and
defend the right of free expression. 
	There is no good censorship. Any effort to restrict free expression and the free
flow of information aids the oppressor. Fighting oppression with censorship is self-defeating. 
	Threats to the freedom of expression of any person anywhere are threats to the  freedom of all people everywhere. Violations of human rights and the right of free expression have been recorded in virtually every country and society across the globe. 
	In response to these violations, we affirm these principles: 
	The American Library Association opposes any use of governmental prerogative that leads to the intimidation of individuals which prevents them from exercising their rights to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas. We urge libraries and librarians everywhere to resist such abuse of governmental power, and to support those against whom such governmental power has been employed.
	The American Library Association condemns any governmental effort to involve libraries and librarians in restrictions on the right of any individual to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas. Such restrictions pervert the function of the library and violate the professional responsibilities of librarians. 
	The American Library Association rejects censorship in any form. Any action which denies the inalienable human rights of individuals only damages the will to resist oppression, strengthens the hand of the oppressor, and undermines the cause of justice. 
	The American Library Association will not abrogate these principles. We believe that censorship corrupts the cause of justice, and contributes to the demise of freedom. 
	Adopted by the ALA Council, January 16, 1991 

Challenged Materials: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights
	The American Library Association declares as a matter of firm principle that it is the responsibility of every library to have a clearly defined materials selection policy in written form which reflects the Library Bill of Rights, and which is approved by the appropriate governing authority. 
	Challenged materials which meet the criteria for selection in the materials selection policy of the library should not be removed under any legal or extra-legal  pressure. The Library Bill of Rights states in Article I that “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation,” and in Article II, that “Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” Freedom of expression is protected by the Constitution of the United States, but constitutionally protected expression is often separated from unprotected expression only by a dim and  uncertain line. The Constitution requires a procedure designed to focus searchingly on challenged expression before it can be suppressed. An adversary  hearing is a part of this procedure. 
	Therefore, any attempt, be it legal or extra-legal, to regulate or suppress materials in libraries must be closely scrutinized to the end that protected expression is not abridged. 

	Adopted June 25, 1971; amended July 1, 1981; amended January 10, 1990, by  the ALA Council. 

                            Reporting a Challenge

	“Congress Shall Make No Law Respecting an Establishment of Religion, or Prohibiting the Free Exercise Thereof; or Abridging the Freedom of Speech, or of the Press; or the Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble, and To Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances.” — First Amendment 
                       “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” — ALA Library Bill of Rights 
	“We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.” — ALA Code of Ethics 
	“If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.”—Noam Chomsky 
	A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those  materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of  view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. 
	 Since 1990, the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom  has maintained a confidential database on challenged materials. ALA collects  information from two sources: newspapers and reports submitted by individuals, some of whom use the Challenge Database Form. All challenges are compiled into a database. Reports of challenges culled from newspapers across the country are compiled in the bimonthly Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom; those reports are then compiled in the Banned Books Week Resource Guide.
	Challenges reported to the ALA by individuals are kept confidential. In these cases, ALA will release only the title of the book being challenged, the state and  the type of institution (school, public library). The name of the institution and its town will not be disclosed. A list of most frequently challenged books is compiled from these challenges for each annual Banned Books Week. 
	To report a challenge, please print the Challenge Database Form, complete it, and fax it to Beverley Becker at the Office for Intellectual Freedom at 312-280-4227.
	For assistance with actual and possible challenges to books, Internet access,  magazines,  and other library materials, you also may contact Beverley Becker at 800-545-2433, ext. 4221, or bbecker@ala.org      

                                    Conducting a  Challenge Hearing

	Challenges to materials only occasionally reach the stage of a full-blown  administrative hearing; often they are resolved at an earlier step in the challenge  resolution process. When a hearing is necessary, however, certain important do’s and don’ts should be observed. A number of battles have been lost because the challenge hearing has been poorly organized. Even though procedures have been followed to the letter up to this point, the handling of the challenge hearing may be the weak link in the process. 
	The challenge process begins when someone objects to materials in a library
collection. At this point, providing an explanation of selection procedures, a copy of the selection policy, or a copy of the reconsideration or complaint form will often terminate the problem. Most complainants never return the reconsideration form because he or she sees the logic of the selection process which emphasizes intellectual freedom and due process. The complainant tends to be satisfied in  registering a concern and knowing the library is taking the concern seriously. 
	There are a few, however, who wish to follow through on the procedures established in the selection policy for handling complaints and approved by the  governing authority. To activate the reconsideration procedure, a complaint should be in writing. In fact, the written and approved selection policy should state that anonymous phone calls, rumors, or voiced concerns are not honored; action occurs only when the reconsideration or complaint form has been returned. The reconsideration committee, comprised of representatives of all library users and the librarian, should accomplish the following steps: 
1.	Read, view or listen to the challenged material in its entirety; 
2.	Review the selection process and the criteria for selection; 
3.	Check reviews and recommended lists to determine recommendations by the experts and critics; 
4.	Meet to discuss the challenge; and 
5.	Make a recommendation to the administrator on removal, retention, or replacement. 
	 The complainant should be notified of the committee’s decision. At the same time,  the procedure for appealing the decision, if the complainant disagrees with it, also should be provided. The appeal level may be a school board, a board of trustees or a city or county board of commissioners or council. (The selection policy should clearly identify the chain of command.) The appeal also must be in writing  in order for the chair of the governing authority to place it on the agenda for the  next meeting. The librarian should follow up on this step to make certain the  presiding officer is aware of the policies and procedures which should be  followed, including open meetings law and the agenda. Normally, the board conducts a challenge hearing which provides the forum for the complainant to air his or her objections to the title in the collection and the recommendation of the reconsideration committee. 
	A hearing on challenged material is serious and often lengthy. Such a hearing may be the only item on the agenda; indeed, best results are most often achieved this way. 
	 Never attempt to stage a hearing quietly. The entire community should be aware  of the meeting and what has transpired up to this point. The hearing should be announced well in advance. Publicity is very important to assure good attendance at the meeting. Make the time and place very clear. Indicate in an announcement or news release that an open hearing is being held and that the public is invited.
	Try to obtain full coverage by the local press, radio and television. Prepare a
news release for each of these groups to make certain they have the facts correct.
	Deliver copies of the media center or library’s selection policies to them, along with a copy of the Library Bill of Rights. These policies, of course, should include procedures for handling complaints. 
	 Decide in advance on a length of time for the entire hearing. Have a definite beginning and ending time. Guard against overlong meetings when small groups  may make decisions in the late hours. This has spelled disaster in some instances. 
	Attempt to estimate in advance the size of the gathering for the hearing. Make certain the meeting place is large enough to prevent postponing the meeting or changing locations at the last minute. A late site change may result in losing part of  the group attending. There have also been situations in which one faction arrived early, securing the choice front seats. To preclude this, the room can be divided,  with people favoring retention of the material on one side, opponents of the  material on the other. 
	 Seek help and advice from your state intellectual freedom committee, local and  state colleges and universities, educational groups, teachers’ professional  organizations, coalitions, and the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. Many of  the non-library groups have committees on intellectual freedom, freedom of speech, and/or academic freedom. Even when representatives from these groups are not present at the hearing, solicited resolutions in written form sometimes help in supporting your philosophy. 
 	Make arrangements in advance to tape proceedings and keep minutes. Announce  at the hearing where and when these will be available to the general public. They should be accessible as soon as possible after the hearing. 
	 Solicit people who will be willing to speak in support of the freedom to read, view and listen. This pool of speakers should be contacted well in advance of the hearing. In fact, many librarians have lists of persons they have contacted previously and who are library supporters. The best spokespersons in hearings tend to be attorneys, ministers, people from the news media, educators, and, of course, librarians. Response to persons from the local community is usually more favorable than to people brought in from outside. Student speakers are also effective. They speak from the heart and do not have any vested interest other than maintaining their freedom of choice guaranteed by the Constitution. 
	As people arrive for the hearing, they should be given a copy of the selection
policy. The policy should include the following elements, among others: a statement of the philosophy of materials selection, a statement that the governing  board is legally responsible for selection of materials, a statement detailing the delegation of this responsibility to the professional library personnel, criteria for selection of materials, procedures for implementing the criteria, and a section on procedures for handling challenged materials. If the Library Bill of Rights is not a formal part of the policy, it should be duplicated and distributed as well. 
	One or more persons should be stationed at the entrance to sign in people wishing  to speak. Request that they identify the side on which they will be speaking. If at  all possible, attempt to have the same number of speakers on both sides. They  should be allowed to speak in the order they signed in. Limit each speaker to a specific amount of time, i.e., three or four minutes, and appoint a timekeeper in advance. No participant should be allowed to speak a second time until everyone registered has been heard once. It is extremely important to adhere strictly both to  the time limits and to the order of the speakers. 
	All members of your advisory board, your reconsideration committee and governing board should already be well-schooled in intellectual freedom principles and procedures. It is the responsibility of the librarian to accomplish this to ensure their support when a challenge hearing is necessary. All those selected to testify should be reminded they are defending a principle more than an individual title.
	The actual title in question should play a secondary role. It is very difficult to disagree with the freedom to read, view and listen in a democratic society. 
	Begin the hearing on time. The chair of the governing board should preside as at any other business meeting. After calling the meeting to order, he or she should review the procedures to be followed at the meeting, even though the procedures  for handling complaints are in the selection policy. The board should delay its decision until a later date and this should be announced at the beginning of the hearing. The meeting is simply to hear all sides of the issue. 
	Through the whole process, it is crucial to follow the traditional advice of remaining calm. Remember to practice what you preach and ensure due process.
	Listen carefully and courteously to everyone. By using good communication skills,  you will help people understand your logic in ensuring diversity in library collections. 
	Keep your governing authority up-to-date on all events and incidents. Examine
your personal philosophy of intellectual freedom on a regular basis. Meet all negative pressure with positive pressures, such as emphasizing intellectual freedom rather than the perils of censorship. 
	By following this advice, you will be able to conduct a successful challenge  hearing and improve your image in the process. 
Gene D. Lanier, the author, is a former faculty member of the Department of Library and Information Studies at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. 

             Coping with Challenges:  Strategies and Tips for
                  Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials

Introduction
	 Libraries are often challenged by individuals and groups concerned about the availability of a wide variety of library materials to everyone. 
	Addressing these challenges requires a balance of carefully crafted library policy,                  knowledge and understanding of intellectual freedom principles, and sensitivity to community needs and concerns. It also requires effective communication. 
	This tip sheet has been prepared by the American Library Association (ALA) to                  help you plan for and deal with such challenges. It can help you educate library staff and trustees, inform the public and work with the media. Some tips are  specific to a type of library or service, while others are for general use. 
	The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom has information and resources to assist you at any stage of a challenge. Established in 1967, the office is charged with implementing ALA policy on free access to libraries and library materials. The   goal is to educate librarians and the general public about the importance of intellectual freedom in libraries. 
	Other ALA offices and divisions also provide assistance. See the ALA Resource List provided or call the toll-free ALA Member Line: 800-545-2433. Extensions and e-mail addresses are listed below. 

                  Contributors
ALA Library and Research Center, larc@ala.org, LARC, ext. 2153 
ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, oif@ala.org, OIF, ext. 4223 
ALA Public Information Office, pio@ala.org, PIO, ext. 5044 
American Association of School Librarians, aasl@ala.org, AASL, ext. 4836 
American Library Trustees & Advocates, alta@ala.org, ALTA, ext. 2161 
Association for Library Service to Children, alsc@ala.org, ALSC, ext. 2163 
Public Library Association, pla@ala.org, PLA, ext. 5025 
Youug Adult Library Services Association, yalsa@ala.org, YALSA, ext. 4391 

 Published by the  American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St.,  Chicago, IL 60611
 E-mail: ala@ala.org               © 1999 

Communicating Effectively
	A few simple communication techniques can go a long way toward defusing emotion and clearing up misunderstanding. Make sure your staff is trained in procedures for handling complaints and understands the importance of treating all people with respect. The goal is to resolve complaints informally whenever possible. 

One on one
	Greet the person with a smile. Communicate your openness to receive  inquiries and that you take them seriously. Listen more than you talk. 
	Practice “active listening.” Take time to really listen and acknowledge the individual’s concern. This can be as simple as “I’m sorry you’re upset. I  understand your concern.” 
	Stay calm and courteous. Upset parents are not likely to be impressed by talk about the First Amendment or Library Bill of Rights. Talk about  freedom of choice, the library’s role in serving all people and the  responsibility of parents to supervise their own children’s library use. Avoid  library jargon. 
	Distribute facts, policy and other background materials in writing to all  interested parties. Avoid giving personal opinions. 
	Be prepared to give a clear and non-intimidating explanation of the library’s procedure for registering a complaint and be clear about when a   decision can be expected. 

Dealing with the media
	When a challenge occurs, realize this may attract media attention. How effectively you work with the media may well determine how big the story becomes and will help to shape public opinion. 

Some suggestions: 
	Have one spokesperson for the library. Make sure that reporters, library staff and the members of the board know who this is. Make it clear that no one other than this  spokesperson should express opinions on behalf of the library. 
	Prepare carefully for any contacts with the media. Know the most important message you want to deliver and be able to deliver it in 25 words or less. You will want to review your library’s borrowing and collection development policies and the American Library Association’s  Library Bill of Rights. 
	Practice answering difficult questions and answers out loud. You may wish  to invest in a session with a professional media consultant. ALA offers this  training at Annual Conferences. 
	Keep to the high ground—no matter what. Don’t mention the other side by  name, either personal or corporate. Be careful to speak in neutral terms. Name calling and personalization are great copy for reporters but create barriers to communication. 
	Do not let yourself be put on the defensive. Stay upbeat, positive—“Libraries are vital to democracy. We are very proud of the service our library provides.” If someone makes a false statement, gently  but firmly respond: “That’s absolutely incorrect. The truth is the vast
majority of parents find the library an extremely friendly, safe place for their children. We receive many more compliments from parents than we do complaints.” 
	Be prepared to tell stories or quote comments from parents and children about how the library has helped them. 
	 Be strategic in involving others. For instance, board members, friends of libraries, community leaders, teachers and other supporters can assist by writing letters to the editor or an opinion column and/or meeting with a newspaper editorial board or other members of the media. 

More tips
	The following tips apply both when dealing with the media and when speaking to                 other audiences—community groups, trustees, staff: 

	Never repeat a negative. Keep your comments upbeat and focused on  service. 
	Keep it simple. Avoid professional jargon. Try to talk in user-friendly terms your audience can relate to: Freedom of choice—not the Library Bill of  Rights. “People with concerns” or “concerned parents”—not censors. 
	 Ask questions. Find out what the approach is, whether there will also be someone with an opposing view present. If you do not feel qualified to address the question or are uncomfortable with the approach, say so.  Suggest other angles (“The real issue is freedom of choice. . .”) 
	Be clear who you represent—yourself or your library. 
            Know your audience. Make sure you know which newspaper, radio or  TV station you’re dealing with and who the audience is—whether they’re parents, seniors, teenagers, their ethnic background, religious affiliation and anything else that will help you focus your remarks. 
	Anticipate the standard “Who-What-When-Where-and-Why” questions and develop your answers beforehand. Keep your answers brief and to the point. Avoid giving too much information. Let the reporter ask the questions. 
	Beware of manipulation. Some reporters may ask leading questions,  something like “Isn’t it true that . . . ?” Make your own statement. 
	Don’t rush. Pause to think about what you want to say and the best way to  say it. Speak deliberately. It will make you sound more thoughtful and authoritative. 
	 Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know. “I don’t know” is a legitimate  answer. Reporters do not want incorrect information. Tell them you’ll get the information and call back. 
	Provide hand-outs with copies of relevant policies, statistics, other helpful information. You also may want to provide a written copy of your statement. 
           Never say “No comment.” A simple “I’m sorry I can’t answer that” will suffice. 
	Remember, nothing is “off the record.” Assume that anything you say could end up on the front page or leading the news broadcast. 
	It’s not just what you say
	How you look and the tone of your voice can be as important as what you        say—especially on radio and TV or before a live audience. 
	You want to sound and look professional, but also friendly and approachable. Studies have shown audiences are more likely to trust and believe you if they like how you look and sound. 
	Smile when you’re introduced, if someone says something funny, if you want to show your enthusiasm for all the good things that your library is doing. On the flip side, be sure not to smile when others are making a  serious point. 
	Dress and make up appropriately. There are many articles and books on what works for TV and speaking appearances. On radio, use your voice as a tool to express your feelings—concern, enthusiasm, empathy. A smile  can be “heard” on the radio. 
	Don’t panic if you misspeak. Simply say “I’m sorry, I forgot what I was going to say.” Or, “I’m sorry I was confused. The correct number is...” To err is human, and audiences are very forgiving of those who confess—but don’t agonize over—their mistakes. 

Sample questions and answers

	The following questions provide sample language to use when answering questions from the media and other members of the public. You will want  to personalize your remarks for your library and community. Remember,  keep it simple. Keep it human. 
	Q: What is the role of libraries in serving children
	 A: The same as it is for adults. Libraries provide books and other materials  that will meet a wide range of ages and interests. Many libraries have special areas for children and teenagers. They also have many special programs, such as preschool storyhour, movies, puppet shows, term paper clinics. In fact, more children participate in summer reading programs at  libraries than play Little League baseball! 
	Q: Why don’t libraries restrict certain materials based on age like  movie theaters or video stores?
	A: Movie theaters and video stores are private businesses and can make their own policies. Libraries are public institutions. They cannot limit access on the basis of age or other characteristics. Our library does provide copies of  movie reviews and ratings, and we encourage parents to use them in guiding their children’s library use. 
	Q: How do libraries decide what to buy?
	A: Every library has its own policies, which are approved by its board. Our  library has adopted the Library Bill of Rights. We also have a mission statement that says our goal is to serve a broad range of community needs. Librarians are taught as part of their professional education to evaluate  books and other materials and to select materials based on library policies. 
	Q: What is the Library Bill of Rights?
  	A: The Library Bill of Rights is a policy statement adopted by the American  Library Association to protect the right of all library users to choose for themselves what they wish to read or view. The policy is more than 50  years old and has been adopted voluntarily by most libraries as a way of  ensuring the highest quality library service to their communities. 
	Q:  Does that mean a child can check out Playboy or other materials  intended for adults?
	A: We believe in freedom of choice for all people but we also believe in common sense. It would be extremely unusual for a young child to check out that type of adult material. Most libraries are designed with special areas for children and teenagers. And there are librarians to provide assistance. We also provide suggested reading lists to help them make
appropriate choices. Our goal is to provide the best possible service for  young people, and we are very proud of what we offer. If you haven’t  been to our library recently, we encourage you to come and see for yourself! 
	Q: What should I do if I find something I don’t approve of in the library?
	A: Libraries offer a wide range of materials, and not everyone is going to like or  approve of everything. If you have a concern, simply ask to speak to a  librarian. We do want to know your concerns, and we’re confident we have or can get materials that meet your needs. The library also has a  formal review process if you wish to put your concern in writing. 
	Q: What does the library do if someone complains about something in  its collection?
	A: We take such concerns very seriously. First, we listen. We also have a  formal review process in which we ask you to fill out a special form  designed to help us understand your concerns. Anyone who makes a written complaint will receive a response in writing. 
	Q: What can parents do to protect their children from materials they  consider offensive?
	A: Visit the library with your children. If that’s not possible, ask to see the  materials your children bring home. Set aside a special shelf for library materials. If there are materials on it you don’t approve of, talk with your children about why you would rather they not read or view them. Most libraries provide suggested reading lists for various ages. And librarians are always glad to advise children and parents on selecting materials we think they would enjoy and find helpful. 
	Q:  I pay tax dollars to support the library. Why shouldn’t I be able to control what my kids are exposed to?
	A: You can control what your children are exposed to simply by going with  them to visit the library or supervising what they bring home. The library has a responsibility to serve all taxpayers, including those you may not agree with—or who may not agree with you. We believe parents know what’s best for their children, and each parent is responsible for supervising  his or her child. 

Key messages
	When responding to a challenge, you will want to focus on three key  points: 
1.	Libraries provide ideas and information across the spectrum of  social and political views. 
2.	 Libraries are one of our great democratic institutions. They provide  freedom of choice for all people. 
3.	 Parents are responsible for supervising their own children’s library  use. 
	These simple, but sometimes overlooked essentials, are the bulwark   against  challenges. 

Public Libraries
	 An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure all library staff and board members understand the library’s policies and procedures for dealing with challenges. Provide customer service and other human relations training that will help staff deal effectively with sensitive matters. 

Tips for directors
	Make sure you have an up-to-date selection policy, reviewed  regularly by your library board, which includes a request for   reconsideration form. 
	As a public institution, the library must develop and implement all  policies within the legal framework that applies to it. Have your  policies reviewed regularly by the library’s legal counsel for compliance with federal and state constitutional requirements,  federal and state civil rights legislation, other applicable federal and   state legislation, including confidentiality legislation and applicable case law. 
	Have the request for reconsideration form available at your major service desks and at all your branch facilities. 
	Work with your trustees to ensure that they know and understand the library’s policies. Institute formal education procedures so all library trustees have the same information. 
             Model the behavior you want your staff to practice. When  confronted by an individual or representative of an organization that   wants an item or items removed or reclassified, listen closely and   carefully to what is being said (and what is not). Respect that
person’s right to have an opinion, and empathize. Keep the lines of  communication open to the greatest possible extent. 
	Work with your frontline staff (children’s librarians, reference librarians, circulation, branch, bookmobile and support staff) to make sure they understand the library’s policies. Help them to understand that they are responsible for implementing the library’s  policy, not their personal beliefs, while they are on duty. Make this a  part of customer service training for your staff. 
	Have an ongoing public relations program to communicate the many ways your library serves all members of the community, especially  families. 
	Build a solid working relationship with your local media before controversy arises. Provide them with upbeat, positive stories about  what the library is doing, especially in the area of children’s services.
	 Put key contacts on your library mailing list. The time to build these relationships is before you need them. 
	Hit the talk circuit. Every social, fraternal and religious organization that meets regularly needs speakers for its meetings. This is your opportunity to reach leaders and opinion makers in your community and to build a support network. 

Tips for trustees
	 First, remember your role. As a library trustee, you have a  responsibility to speak your mind, and to argue forcibly for your point of view within the forum of the board. Once the board has    made a decision, it is your responsibility to support the decision of  the majority. If you disagree for whatever reason, do not speak out publicly. If, for reasons of conscience, you feel you cannot be silent,   it is best to resign from the board before making your opposition public. 
	Work with your library director to ensure that the necessary policies are in place and that they are reviewed regularly and thoroughly. Review and affirm your library’s selection policy annually and make sure it is followed carefully. 
	Insist that the entire board understands the library’s collection policy  and that it be involved in reviewing and reaffirming this policy annually. 
	Be an effective advocate for the library. Use your contacts in the community to educate and mobilize others in support of the library. 
	 Bring what you hear back to the library director. Your roots in the community may be much deeper and of longer duration that those of  the director. The things that people will tell you what they won’t tell a director can provide valuable feedback. 
	Be involved with the professional state and national organizations serving library trustees. 
	Remember the roots of the word “trustee.” The community has placed its trust in you to act as an effective steward for the library. This means representing the interests of the entire community, not just a vocal minority. 

Tips for children’s and young adult librarians
 	Make sure you and your staff are familiar with the library’s collection policy and can explain it in a clear, easily understandable way. 
	Take time to listen to and empathize with a parent’s concern. Explain in a non-defensive way the need to protect the right of all  parents to determine their own children’s reading. 
	 Keep your director informed of any concerns expressed, whether  you feel they have been successfully resolved or not. 
	Join professional organizations to keep abreast of issues and trends in library service to children and families. 
	Encourage parents or guardians to participate in choosing library materials for their young people and to make reading aloud a family activity. Host storytelling, book discussion groups and other  activities that involve adults and youth. 
	Offer “parent education” programs/workshops throughout the year.  National Library Week in April, Teen Read Week in October and  Children’s Book Week in November provide timely opportunities.
	 Suggested topics: how to select books and other materials for youth; how to raise a reader; how books and other materials can help children and teens cope with troubling situations; the importance of  parents being involved in their children’s reading and library use; concepts of intellectual freedom. 
	Reach out to the media. Offer to write a newspaper column or host a radio or TV program discussing good books and other materials for children and teens. Give tips for helping families get the most  from libraries. 
	Build bridges. Offer to speak to parent and other groups on what’s  new at the library, good reading for youth, how to motivate children  and teens to read, how to make effective use of the library and other  topics of special interest. 

Support Groups
	 In addition to the ALA offices and divisions listed earlier, the following organizations are sources of support. (See also First Amendment Advocates.) 

  American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
 132 West 43rd Street
 New York, NY 10036
 212-944-9800
A public interest organization dedicated to protecting civil rights and preserving the First Amendment concepts of religious liberty, separation of  church and state, and freedom of expression. 

 Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF)
 50 East Huron Street
 Chicago, IL 60611
 312-280-4226
A foundation that promotes and defends the First Amendment right of free  expression, particularly through library collections. The foundation also  provides legal counsel and other support for libraries and librarians  suffering injustices due to their defense of freedom of  speech and of the press. 

Institute for First Amendment Studies
P.O. Box 589
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-528-3800
A research organization dedicated to protecting First Amendment  freedoms, with particular emphasis on the separation of church and state. 

 National Coalition Against Censorship
 275 Seventh Ave.
 New York, NY 10001
 212-807-6222
 A coalition of national, non-profit organizations dedicated to fighting  censorship. 

 People for the American Way
 2000 M Street NW, Suite 400
 Washington, DC 20036
 202-467-4999
A public interest organization that provides legal and technical assistance to educators and parents facing censorship challenges in their communities and schools. 

Support for Learning and Teaching of English
National Council of Teachers of English
1111 W. Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096
 217-328-9645
An educational organization that provides information and support to teachers, school administrators or others facing challenges to curriculum materials. 

                                              RESOURCES 
To order other ALA materials, call 800-545-2433, press 7, or fax: 312-836-9958. Or, use the appropriate extension where listed. 
 American Library Trustees & Advocates. Trustee Voice. 4 issues/year.  Chicago: ALA. Free for ALTA members. 
 Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: 1999 Resource Book. Chicago: ALA, 1999, $20. Includes a bibliography. 
Intellectual Freedom Committee. Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom.  Bi-monthly. Chicago: ALA, $40/year. 
Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). Hit List: Frequently Challenged  Books for Children. Chicago: ALA, 1996, $22. 
Office for Intellectual Freedom. Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q and A (brochure). OIF. Single copies $2, special prices for bulk orders, OIF, ext. 4223. 
Office for Intellectual Freedom. Intellectual Freedom Manual, 5th  Edition. Chicago: ALA, 1996, $38. 
Office for Intellectual Freedom. Workbook for Selection Policy Writing. Chicago: ALA, 1983. $2. 
Penway, Anne, ed. Confidentiality in Libraries: An Intellectual Freedom Modular Education Program. Includes modules on: Policy Development, Technology and Confidentiality, Libraries and the Law, Using the Legislative Process, and Media and Public Relations. Chicago: ALA, 1993. Trainer’s Manual: $99; $15 each for workbooks. 
Public Information Office (PIO). Library Advocate’s Handbook. Includes tips for organizing an advocacy campaign, public speaking and dealing with the media. Single copies $2, special prices for bulk quantities. PIO, ext. 5044. 
Reichman, Henry F. Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools, 2nd Edition. Chicago: ALA, 1993. Out-of-print. 
Young, Virginia G. The Library Trustee: A Practical Guidebook, 5th Edition. Chicago: ALA, 1995, $40. 
Young Adult Library Association. Hit List: Frequently Challenged Young Adult Titles, 2nd Edition. Chicago: YALSA, 1996. $22. 

Selection aids
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 101 Books for  Children: A Good Place to Start (brochure). 1995. Single copies free  from ALSC with SSAE, ext. 2163. 
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Building a Home Library (brochure).  Chicago: ALSC, 1992. Single copies free from ALSC  with SSAE, ext. 2163. 
Association for Library Service to Children. How to Raise a Reader (brochure). Single copies free from ALSC with SSAE, ext. 2163. 
Association for Library Service to Children(ALSC)/Young Adult Library  Services  Association (YALSA). Journal of Youth Services in Libraries.  4 issues/year. Free to members. $40/year subscription. 
Balay, Robert, ed. Guide to Reference Books, 11th Edition. Chicago:  ALA, 1996, $275. 
Book Links: Connecting Books, Libraries, and Classrooms. 6 issues/year. Chicago: ALA, $19.95/year subscription. (See  www.ala.org/BookLinks/.) 
Booklist. 22 issues/year. Chicago: ALA, $69.50/year subscription. (See www.ala.org/booklist/index.html.) 
 Helmer, Dona J., ed. Selecting Materials for School Library Media Centers, 2nd Edition. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians, 1993. Out-of-print. 
Reid, Rob. Children’s Jukebox: A Subject Guide to Musical  Recordings and Programming Ideas for Songsters Ages 1 to 12.  Chicago: ALA, 1995. Out-of-print. 
Richardson, Selma K. Magazines for Children: A Guide for Parents,  Teachers, and Librarians, Second Edition. Chicago, ALA, 1991.   Out-of-print. 

Videotapes
              The following videotapes are available on interlibrary loan from your local
library or the ALA Library and Research Center. 
	Controlling the Confrontation, 1989. Tips from media pro Art Lustberg on dealing with the media and other sensitive situations (44 min.). The tape  ($99 minus 10 percent ALA member discount) can be ordered from ALA  Video/Library Video Network, 320 York Rd., Towson, MD 21204.  Telephone: 800-441-TAPE (8273). Fax: 410-887-2091. 
	Perfecting Presentations, 1992. More tips from Lustberg on how to deliver  an interesting and effective presentation (37 min.). The tape ($150 minus 10 percent ALA member discount) includes the book, Podium Power,   and can be ordered from ALA Video/Library Video Network, 320 York    Rd., Towson, MD 21204. Telephone: 800-441-TAPE (8273). Fax:  410-887-2091. 
	Media training for librarians is available from ALA. Contact the ALA  Public Information Office. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 5044. Fax: 312-944-8520. E-mail: pio@ala.org 

      Coping with Challenges:  Kids and Libraries:   What You Should Know
	Kids and curiosity go together. Children and teenagers have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge that usually pleases but sometimes overwhelms their parents.  Why? How? The questions never seem to end! 
	Fortunately, there are libraries and librarians to help answer these unending questions, send kids on wondrous adventures and provide them with the resources they need to learn and grow. And parents can relax knowing it is a friendly place for all families. 
	 With so much available, how can you help your family make the best use of the  library? 

	Here are answers to some commonly asked questions, along with suggestions for helping children become lifelong learners and library users. 

                  What is the role of libraries and librarians in serving children? 
 	Libraries are family-oriented public institutions charged with making a broad
selection of materials available for everyone, including children and teenagers. 
	Most public libraries have special areas for children and teens with materials that                   appeal to various ages and interests. Libraries also offer summer reading programs, storytelling, book discussions and other special programs for young  people. Programs such as these help kids learn to enjoy libraries and use them for their information and entertainment needs. 
	School libraries have a responsibility to support their school’s curriculum and to provide materials that serve the diverse backgrounds, interests, maturity levels and reading levels of the entire student body. 

                  How do librarians select their collections? 
	Each library has its own selection and collection development policies. Criteria  may include popular demand, ensuring diversity in the collection, available space  and budget. These policies must be approved by the library or school governing board, which is made up of community representatives. 
	The ultimate responsibility rests with the library director or school superintendent, who delegates selection to appropriate staff acting within the framework of the  established policies. In schools, librarians work closely with teachers and school administrators to provide collections that support and supplement the school’s curriculum. 
	The majority of books and other materials selected have been reviewed and recommended by professional librarians or reviewers. Purchases are also sometimes made on the recommendations of book discussion groups or requests by library users. 
	 Selection is an inclusive process, in which librarians seek materials that will provide a broad range of viewpoints and subject matter. This means that while library collections have thousands of items families want, like and need, they also will have materials that some parents may find offensive to them or inappropriate for their children. 
	Because an item is selected does not mean the librarian endorses or promotes it. He or she is simply helping the library to fulfill its mission of providing  information  from all points of view. 

	How are libraries different from movie theaters, book or video stores,   
	which often have restrictions for children and teens? 
	As public institutions, libraries cannot discriminate based on age, sex, race or any
other characteristic. Movie theaters are privately owned businesses that can choose to show only children’s movies or westerns. Similarly, video stores can decide not to rent certain movies to anyone under the age of 18. 
	Libraries must meet the diverse needs of everyone in their communities. They cannot overrule the rights and responsibilities of individuals by deciding who does or doesn’t have access to library materials. Most libraries provide movie reviews and ratings for parents to use these in guiding their children’s library use. 

	Can’t parents tell the librarian what material they don’t think children 	should have? 
	Decisions about what materials are suitable for particular children should be made by the people who know them best—their parents or guardians. 
	 Children mature at different rates. They have different backgrounds and interests. And they have different reading levels and abilities. For instance, a video that one 10-year-old likes may not interest another. Or parents may feel a particular library book is inappropriate for their daughter, while the same book may be a favorite of her classmate’s family. These factors make it impossible for librarians to set any criteria for restricting use based on age alone. To do so would keep others who want and need materials from having access to them. 
	Like adults, children and teenagers have the right to seek and receive the information that they choose. It is the right and responsibility of parents to guide their own family’s library use while allowing other parents to do the same. 
	Librarians are not authorized to act as parents. But they are happy to provide  suggestions and guidance to parents and youngsters at any time. 

                  What is the Library Bill of Rights? 
	The Library Bill of Rights is a policy adopted by the American Library Association to guide librarians in serving their communities or schools. This policy,  based on the First Amendment, protects the rights of all library users to choose  for themselves what they wish to read, listen to or view. It has been voluntarily adopted by many libraries to ensure that they serve everyone in their communities equally and fairly. 
	 Under the First Amendment, children and teens have the same rights as adults to select the materials they wish to read, listen to or view. The Library Bill of Rights simply reminds libraries of their responsibilities to serve all the public, regardless of age. 

            How can parents help children and teens make the best use of the library?
1.	Allow your kids to explore the library. Children and teens are naturally attracted to materials intended for them. They are generally not attracted to materials that are too advanced for their reading or maturity levels. By asking questions and learning to find their own answers, young people learn to think for themselves, to compare and contrast differing opinions and to analyze what they see and hear, rather than blindly following others. 
 2.	Ask your librarian for suggestions about materials that are appropriate for  your children’s ages, maturity levels, knowledge and interests. Read books and brochures that review materials for children or teens. Review those materials yourself to determine if they are what you think your children may like or need. While librarians and resource lists can provide guidance, you  know your children and family’s needs best. 
3.	Discuss your family rules regarding library use with your children. If you are concerned they will not respect your wishes, it is your responsibility to visit the library with them. 
4.	When you can’t go along, show an interest in what your children bring home from the library. Have a special shelf for library materials and take time to familiarize yourself with them. Ask your children in a non-threatening way to share what they found at the library. Praise their independence and responsibility in caring for library materials and returning
them on time. 
5.	If you feel an item is inappropriate for your children, use this as an opportunity to express your views and provide guidance. When you return the material, simply ask the librarian to help you find something else from among the many choices available. 
6.	Be aware that many young people seek information from libraries that they  are embarrassed or afraid to ask an adult. A factual library book, unlike hearsay from friends, can ease their fears or even keep them safe from  harm. Remember that just because a child is reading or viewing something,  it doesn’t mean he or she is participating in or approves of it. If you have a  concern, take the opportunity to discuss it. 
7.	Be a role model for library use. Nothing teaches children better than seeing  you use and enjoy the wide range of materials available. 
8.	Establish a family routine of going regularly to the library. Visiting the library once a week or once a month encourages young people to use the library both for learning and pleasure, and teaches them how to find what they   need—an invaluable skill for school and a lifetime of learning. 
9.	Get to know your public and school librarians. Their expertise can help you and your children get the most out of libraries. 
10.	Ask for the item you want. If the library doesn't already own it, the librarian may be able to locate similar materials, borrow it from another library or  add it to the collection. 
	For more information about how your library can meet your family’s needs, talk  to your librarian. 

	 Published by the  American Library Association,  50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611		 E-mail: ala@ala.org    © 1999 

            Dealing with Concerns  about Library Resources

	 As with any public service, libraries receive complaints and expressions of concern. One of the librarian’s responsibilities is to handle these complaints in a  respectful and fair manner. The complaints that librarians often worry about most are those dealing with library resources or free access policies. The key to successfully handling these complaints is to be sure the library staff and the  governing authorities are all knowledgeable about the complaint procedures and  their implementation. As normal operating procedure each library should: 
1.	Maintain a materials selection policy. It should be in written form and approved by the appropriate governing authority. It should apply to all library materials equally. 
2.	Maintain a library service policy. This should cover registration policies, programming and services in the library that involve access issues. 
3.	Maintain a clearly defined method for handling complaints. The complaint must be filed in writing and the complainant must be properly identified before action is taken. A decision should be deferred until fully considered by appropriate administrative authority. (A sample form is  attached.) The process should be followed, whether the complaint originates internally or externally. 
4.	Maintain in-service training. Conduct periodic in-service training to acquaint staff, administration, and the governing authority with the materials selection policy and library service policy and procedures for handling complaints. 
5.	Maintain lines of communication with civic, religious, educational, and political bodies of the community. Library board and staff participation in local civic organizations and presentations to these organizations should emphasize the library’s selection process and
 intellectual freedom principles. 
6.	Maintain a vigorous public information program on behalf of intellectual freedom. Newspapers, radio, and television should be  informed of policies governing resource selection and use, and of any  special activities pertaining to intellectual freedom. 
7.	Maintain familiarity with any local municipal and state legislation  pertaining to intellectual freedom and First Amendment rights.
	Following these practices will not preclude receiving complaints from pressure groups or individuals but should provide a base from which to operate when these concerns are expressed. When a complaint is made,  follow one or more of the steps listed below: 
a.	Listen calmly and courteously to the complaint. Remember the
person has a right to express a concern. Use of good communication skills helps many people understand the need for diversity in library collections and the use of library resources. In the event the person is not satisfied, advise the complainant of the library  policy and procedures for handling library resource statements of concern. If a person does fill out a form about their concern, make sure a prompt written reply related to the concern is sent. 
b	.It is essential to notify the administration and/or the governing authority (library board, etc.) of the complaint and assure them that the library’s procedures are being followed. Present full, written information giving the nature of the complaint and identifying the source. 
c.	When appropriate, seek the support of the local media. Freedom to  read and freedom of the press go hand in hand. 
d.	When appropriate, inform local civic organizations of the facts and enlist their support. Meet negative pressure with positive pressure. 
e.	Assert the principles of the Library Bill of Rights as a professional responsibility. Laws governing obscenity, subversive material and other questionable matter are subject to interpretation by courts. Library materials found to meet the standards set in the materials selection policy should not be removed from public access until after an adversary hearing resulting in a final judicial determination. 
 f.	Contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom and your state intellectual freedom committee to inform them of the complaint and to enlist their support and the assistance of other agencies. 
	The principles and procedures discussed above apply to all kinds of resource related complaints or attempts to censor and are supported by groups such as the  National Education Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as the American Library Association. While the practices provide positive means for preparing for and meeting pressure group complaints, they serve the more general purpose of    supporting the Library Bill of Rights, particularly Article 3, which states that
“Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of the responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” 
	Office for Intellectual Freedom,  American Library Association,  50 E. Huron Street,                   Chicago, IL 60611,   312/280-4223,   oif@ala.org

                         Revised by the Intellectual Freedom Committee, January 12, 1983. 

       Sample Request for Reconsideration of  Library Resources
[Identify HERE who in your own structure, has authorized use of  this form—Director, Board of Trustees, Board of Education, etc.—and to whom to return the form.] 
Example: The school board of Mainstream County, U.S.A., has delegated the      responsibility for selection and evaluation of library/educational resources to the              school library media specialist/curriculum committee, and has established            reconsideration procedures to address concerns about those resources.
 Completion of this form is the first step in those procedures. If you wish to  request reconsideration of school or library resources, please return the  completed form to the Coordinator of Library Media Resources, Mainstream  School Dist., 1 Mainstream Plaza, Anytown, U.S.A. 

  Name ___________________________    Date ___________________________ 

  Address ___________________________ 

  City ___________________________     State ___________________________ 

  Zip ___________________________        Phone ___________________________ 

  Do you represent self? ____ Organization? ____ 

1.	Resource on which you are commenting: 

     ____ Book ____ Textbook ____ Video ____ Display 

     ____ Magazine ____ Library Program ____ Audio Recording 

    ____ Newspaper ____ Electronic information/network (please specify) 

     ____ Other ___________________________ 

  Title ___________________________ 

  Author/Producer ___________________________ 

 2.	What brought this resource to your attention? 

3.	Have you examined the entire resource? 

4.	What concerns you about the resource? (use other side or additional pages  if necessary) 

5.	Are there resource(s) you suggest to provide additional information and/or  other viewpoints on this topic? 

Revised by the American Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee  June 27, 1995

Guidelines for the Development  and Implementation of Policies,  Regulations and  Procedures  Affecting Access to Library  Materials, Services and  Facilities

                                         INTRODUCTION

	Publicly supported libraries exist within the context of a body of law derived from  the United States Constitution and appropriate state constitutions, defined by  statute, and implemented by regulations, policies and procedures established by  their governing bodies and administrations. These regulations, policies and procedures establish the mission of the library, define its functions, services and operations and ascertain the rights and responsibilities of the clientele served by the library. 
	 Publicly supported library service is based upon the First Amendment right of free expression. The publicly supported library provides free and equal access to information for all people of the community it serves. Thus, publicly supported libraries are governmental agencies designated as limited public forums for access to information. Libraries that make meeting rooms, exhibit spaces and/or bulletin boards available for public use are also designated as limited public forums for the exchange of information. 
 	Many libraries adopt administrative policies and procedures regulating the organization and use of library materials, services and facilities. These policies and procedures affect access and may have the effect of restricting, denying or creating barriers to access to the library as a public forum, including the library's resources, facilities and services. Library policies and procedures that impinge upon First Amendment rights are subject to a higher standard of review than may be required in the policies of other public services and facilities. 
	Policies, procedures or regulations that may result in denying, restricting or  creating physical or economic barriers to access to the library's public forum must  be based on a compelling government interest. However, library governing  authorities may place reasonable and narrowly drawn restrictions on the time,  place or manner of access to library resources, services or facilities, provided that such restrictions are not based upon arbitrary distinctions between individuals or classes of individuals. 
	The American Library Association has adopted the Library Bill of Rights and  Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights to provide library governing authorities, librarians and other library staff and library users with guidelines on how constitutional principles apply to libraries in the United States of America.  
	The American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee recommends that publicly supported libraries use the following guidelines, based on constitutional principles, to develop policies, regulations and procedures. 

                                           GUIDELINES

	All library policies, regulations and procedures should be carefully examined to determine if they may result in denying, restricting or creating barriers to access. If they may result in such restrictions, they: 
1.	should be developed and implemented within the legal framework that
applies to the library. This includes: the United States Constitution, including the First and Fourteenth Amendments, due process and equal treatment under the law; the applicable state constitution; federal and state civil rights legislation; all other applicable federal, state and local legislation; and applicable case law; 
2.	should cite statutes or ordinances upon which the authority to make that  policy is based, when appropriate; 
3.	should be developed and implemented within the framework of the Library Bill of Rights and its Interpretations; 
4.	should be based upon the library's mission and objectives; 
5.	should only impose restrictions on the access to, or use of library resources, services or facilities when those restrictions are necessary to achieve the library's mission and objectives; 
6.	should narrowly tailor prohibitions or restrictions, in the rare instances when they are required, so they are not more restrictive than needed to serve their objectives; 
7.	should attempt to balance competing interests and avoid favoring the majority at the expense of individual rights, or allowing individual users' rights to interfere materially with the majority's rights to free and equal  access to library resources, services and facilities; 
 8.	should avoid arbitrary distinctions between individuals or classes of users, and should not have the effect of denying or abridging a person's right to use library resources, services or facilities based upon arbitrary distinctions such as origin, age, background or views; 
	 In the Library Bill of Rights and all of its Interpretations, it is  intended that: "origin" encompasses all the characteristics of individuals that are inherent in the circumstances of their birth; "age" encompasses all the characteristics of individuals that are inherent in  their levels of development and maturity; "background" encompasses all the characteristics of individuals that are a result of their life experiences; and "views" encompasses all the opinions and beliefs held and expressed by individuals;
 9.	should not target specific users or groups of users based upon an assumption or expectation that such users might engage in behavior that will materially interfere with the achievement of substantial library objectives; 
10.	must be clearly stated so that a reasonably intelligent person will have fair warning of what is expected; 
11.	must provide a means of appeal; 
12.	must be reviewed regularly by the library's governing authority and by its  legal counsel. 
13.	must be communicated clearly and made available in an effective manner to all library users; 
14.	must be enforced evenhandedly, and not in a manner intended to benefit or disfavor any person or group in an arbitrary or capricious manner; 
	 Libraries should develop an ongoing staff training program designed to foster the understanding of the legal framework and principles underlying library policies and to assist staff in gaining the skill and ability to respond to potentially difficult circumstances in a timely, direct and open manner. This program should include training to develop empathy and understanding of the social and economic  problems of some library users;
15.	should, if reasonably possible, provide adequate alternative means of  access to information for those whose behavior results in the denial or  restriction of access to any library resource, service or facility. 
	Adopted by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee June 28, 1994 

                                            GLOSSARY

Below are definitions of some of the terms used in the Guidelines to assist in understanding the applicable standards: 
arbitrary distinctions: 
inappropriate categorizations of persons, classes of persons,  conduct, or things based upon criteria irrelevant to the purpose for which the distinctions are made. For example, a rule intended to regulate the length of time an item may be borrowed should not be based on an irrelevant consideration (arbitrary distinction) such as a personal characteristic of the borrower (height or age.)
compelling government interest: 
a term often used by courts when assessing the burden of government regulation or action upon a fundamental right such as freedom of speech. For such a rule to withstand constitutional challenge, the government must show more than a merely important reason -- the reason for the rule must be compelling -- so important that it outweighs even the most valued and basic freedom it negatively impacts.
limited public forum: 
a public place designated by the government, or established through tradition, as a place dedicated to a particular type of expression. As in a public forum, only reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on speech within the scope of the designated purpose of the forum, may be imposed. The government may exclude entire  categories of speech which do not fall within the designated purpose of the forum, but may not discriminate against particular viewpoints on subjects appropriate to the forum.
 materially interfere: 
a term used by courts to describe the necessary level of intrusion, inconvenience or disruption of an accepted or protected activity caused by certain conduct in order to justify regulation of that conduct. A material interference is much more than mere annoyance  -- it must be an actual obstacle to the exercise of a right.
substantial objectives: 
goals related to the fundamental mission of a government institution, and  not merely incidental the performance of that mission. Providing free and unrestricted access to a broad selection of materials representing various points of view is a substantial objective of a  public library. Having spotless white carpeting is not.

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The Freedom to Read Statement

	The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove books from sale, to censor textbooks, to label “controversial” books, to distribute lists of “objectionable” books or authors, and to purge  libraries. These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to  avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as citizens devoted to the use of books and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating them, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the  freedom to read. 
	We are deeply concerned about these attempts at suppression. Most such attempts rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary citizen, by exercising critical judgment, will accept the good and reject the bad. The censors, public and private, assume that they should determine what  is good and what is bad for their fellow-citizens. 
	We trust Americans to recognize propaganda, and to reject it. We do not believe  they need the help of censors to assist them in this task. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be “protected” against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression. 
	We are aware, of course, that books are not alone in being subjected to efforts at
suppression. We are aware that these efforts are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, films, radio and television. The problem is not only one of actual censorship. The shadow of fear cast by these pressures leads, we suspect, to an even larger voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy. 
	Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of uneasy change
and pervading fear. Especially when so many of our apprehensions are directed against an ideology, the expression of a dissident idea becomes a thing feared in itself, and we tend to move against it as against a hostile deed, with suppression.  
	And yet suppression is never more dangerous than in such a time of social tension. Freedom has given the United States the elasticity to endure strain. Freedom keeps open the path of novel and creative solutions, and enables change to come by choice. Every silencing of a heresy, every enforcement of an orthodoxy, diminishes the toughness and resilience of our society and leaves it the  less able to deal with stress. 
	Now as always in our history, books are among our greatest instruments of
freedom. They are almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. They are the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. They are essential to the extended discussion which serious thought requires, and to the accumulation of knowledge and ideas into organized collections. 
	We believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. We believe that these pressures towards conformity present the danger of limiting the range and variety of inquiry and expression on which our democracy and our culture depend. We believe that every American community must jealously guard the freedom to publish and to circulate, in order to preserve its own freedom to read. We believe that publishers and librarians have a profound responsibility to give validity to that freedom to  read by making it possible for the readers to choose freely from a variety of offerings. 
	The freedom to read is guaranteed by the Constitution. Those with faith in free
people will stand firm on these constitutional guarantees of essential rights and will
exercise the responsibilities that accompany these rights.
	We therefore affirm these propositions: 
1.	It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including  those which are unorthodox or unpopular with the majority. 
	Creative thought is by definition new, and what is new is different. The bearer of
every new thought is a rebel until that idea is refined and tested. Totalitarian systems attempt to maintain themselves in power by the ruthless suppression of  any concept which challenges the established orthodoxy. The power of a  democratic system to adapt to change is vastly strengthened by the freedom of its citizens to choose widely from among conflicting opinions offered freely to them. To stifle every nonconformist idea at birth would mark the end of the democratic  process. Furthermore, only through the constant activity of weighing and selecting  can the democratic mind attain the strength demanded by times like these. We  need to know not only what we believe but why we believe it. 
2.	Publishers, librarians and booksellers do not need to endorse every idea or presentation contained in the books they make available. It would conflict with the public interest for them to establish their own political, moral or aesthetic views as a standard for determining what books should be published or circulated. 
	Publishers and librarians serve the educational process by helping to make available knowledge and ideas required for the growth of the mind and the increase of learning. They do not foster education by imposing as mentors the patterns of their own thought. The people should have the freedom to read and consider a broader range of ideas than those that may be held by any single librarian or publisher or government or church. It is wrong that what one can read should be confined to what another thinks proper. 
3.	It is contrary to the public interest for publishers or librarians to determine the acceptability of a book on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author. A book should be judged as a book. No art or literature can flourish if it is to be
measured by the political views or private lives of its creators. No society of free people can flourish which draws up lists of writers to whom it will not listen, whatever they may have to say. 
4.	There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression. 
	To some, much of modern literature is shocking. But is not much of life itself
shocking? We cut off literature at the source if we prevent writers from dealing with the stuff of life. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to prepare the young to meet the diversity of experiences in life to which they will be exposed, as they have a responsibility to help them learn to think critically for themselves.
	These are affirmative responsibilities, not to be discharged simply by preventing
them from reading works for which they are not yet prepared. In these matters taste differs, and taste cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised which will suit the demands of one group without limiting the freedom of others. 
5.	It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept with any  book the prejudgment of a label characterizing the book or author as subversive or dangerous. 
	The ideal of labeling presupposes the existence of individuals or groups with
wisdom to determine by authority what is good or bad for the citizen. It presupposes that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. But Americans do not need others to do their thinking for them. 
6.	It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians, as guardians of  the people’s freedom to read, to contest encroachments upon that freedom by individuals or groups seeking to impose their own standards or tastes upon the community at large. 
	It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the
moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society individuals are free to determine for themselves what they wish to read, and each group is free to determine what it will recommend to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society. Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. 
7.	It is the responsibility of publishers and librarians to give full meaning to the freedom to read by providing books that enrich the quality and diversity of thought and expression. By the exercise of this affirmative responsibility, they can demonstrate that the answer to a bad book is a good one, the answer to a bad idea is a good one. 
	The freedom to read is of little consequence when expended on the trivial; it is                  frustrated when the reader cannot obtain matter fit for that reader’s purpose. What is needed is not only the absence of restraint, but the positive provision of opportunity for the people to read the best that has been thought and said. Books are the major channel by which the intellectual inheritance is handed down, and  the principal means of its testing and growth. The defense of their freedom and integrity, and the enlargement of their service to society, requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all citizens the fullest of  their support. 
	We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here               stake out a lofty claim for the value of books. We do so because we believe that they are good, possessed of enormous variety and usefulness, worthy of cherishing and keeping free. We realize that the application of these propositions may mean the dissemination of ideas and manners of expression that are repugnant to many persons. We do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the  suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours. 

This statement was originally issued in May of 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council, which in 1970 consolidated with the American Educational Publishers Institute to become the Association of American Publishers. Adopted June 25, 1953; revised January 28, 1972, January 16, 1991, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee. 
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                   Code of Ethics  of the American Library Association

	As members of the American Library Association, we recognize the importance of codifying and making known to the profession and to the general public the ethical principles that guide the work of librarians, other professionals providing information services, library trustees and library staffs. 
	Ethical dilemmas occur when values are in conflict. The American Library
Association Code of Ethics states the values to which we are committed, and embodies the ethical responsibilities of the profession in this changing information environment. 
	We significantly influence or control the selection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information. In a political system grounded in an informed
citizenry, we are members of a profession explicitly committed to intellectual
freedom and the freedom of access to information. We have a special obligation to ensure the free flow of information and ideas to present and future generations. 
	The principles of this Code are expressed in broad statements to guide ethical
decision making. These statements provide a framework; they cannot and do not dictate conduct to cover particular situations. 

I.	We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests. 
II.	We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources. 
III.	We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted. 
IV.	We recognize and respect intellectual property rights. 
V.	We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions. 
VI.	We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions. 
VII.	We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of  access to their information resources. 
VIII.	We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the  aspirations of potential members of the profession.

                                        Adopted by the ALA Council  June 28, 1995