Library Board of Trustees

MEETING MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY Held in the Mary Riley Styles Public Library 120 N. Virginia Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046 November 15,2023 This meeting was recorded. All members of the public may view this video of this meeting on the City's website at http://www.fallschurchva.gov/webcasts 1. CALL TO ORDER Ms. Elise Stein, Board Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:00p.m. 2. ROLL CALL AND INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS The following Board members attended the meeting, and exceptions were noted: Elise Stein Janis Johnson Jessie Labukas Robert Leopold Claire McCray Steve Morse- Tardy Molly Novotny -Absent Excused Others present for the meeting: Library Acting Director Marshall Webster and Sr. Administrative Assistant Claudia Gutierrez. Guests: City Resident David Berol, Library staff Beth Meadows and Paula Hawkins were present as well. 3.- RECEIPT OF PETITIONS No Petitions 4. BOARD SUCCESS & ADVOCACY PRESENTATION- REAGEN THALACKER, LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA Ms. Thalacker introduced herself to the Board, sharing her background and experience working for libraries and schools on different projects. Her presentation reviewed the role and responsibilities of public library advisory boards, and provided information and resources relating to records retention, legal considerations, and library advocacy. The Board afterwards expressed how helpful and informative they all found the presentation. 5. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 18, 2023 MEETING MINUTES Ms. Stein abstained from voting since she was absent on that meeting. Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Leopold and seconded by Mr. Morse, the Library Board approved the October 18, 2023 Meeting Minutes with a minor change. 6. LIBRARY REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Staffing and Reorganization • Working with Interim City Manager Jenny Carroll, Human Resources, and the Finance Department, the library has secured short-term funding to increase Library Assistant 1 weekly staffing by 40 hours while the library has vacancies due to the ongoing City leadership reorganization. These additional hours, which are temporary and not intended to replace the library's currently vacant 40-hour Adult Services librarian position, will relieve desk coverage responsibilities for Adult Services staff, allowing them to focus more time on their core tasks (collection development, programming and outreach, interlibrary loan, etc). The additional Library Assistant I hours are effective Monday November 20. Closures • The library will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday November 23 and Friday November 24. • The library will be closed from 3-5 pm for the staff Holiday Party. It has not been determined if it will be on Thursday December 14 or Friday December 15. Upcoming Programs • A new pilot Spanish Conversation group will meet on November 28 and December 12. • In partnership with Bards Alley Bookshop, Australian author Emma Grey will discuss her new book, The Last Love Note, with fellow author Kristyn Kusek Lewis on November 29. • The next used book sale will run Saturday December 2 through Monday December 4. • A Gingerbread house program for grade school children will be held on Saturday December 2. • An Artificial Intelligence talk with GMU Professor Stephen Ruth will be on Saturday December 9. Building Updates • The stairway globe lights are fixed. The tread from the bottom of the stairwell was temporarily fixed; however, the Department of Public Works is looking for a permanent solution to repair the tread. • The decorative acorn light poles that were not working in the rear of the building are now fixed. There is a possibility of getting a third acorn pole (in between these two) since there is a connection available. • There is also a ticket open with Dominion to fix the street pole on the electric pole next to the outside book drop. 125 Anniversary Updates Mr. Leopold, who is representing the library Board, and representatives from VPIS and the MRPSL Foundations will meet tomorrow with the library's 1251h Anniversary Team to learn more about what staff are planning for the celebration throughout 2024. He will report back to the Board at the December 2023 meeting. Other Items • October statistics continue to grow. The overall digital collection usage showed a small decrease due to the absence of Free gal music, which has been discontinued. Ebook and eaudiobook usage, however, is up year over year. • The City, along with a consultant, are reviewing all of the Administrative Regulations. They will be vetted against federal, state, and local law and made more accessible to staff. • Mr. Webster received an email from a patron who was concern about access to the library for people who work all day. Next Month Heads up • The Board meeting will be on December 13. The agenda will include a briefing of the budget process, second reading of policies, and possibly a new policy for review. 7. LEGISLATIVE AGENDA STATEMENT Mr. Webster reviewed library related Virginia General Assembly legislative agenda items to be submitted to City Council. Included were calls for full funding for state aid to public libraries and the Library of Virginia, changes to the charter to remove a voting eligibility requirement for potential board and commission members, and a statement in support of the freedom to read. There were suggestions to change some of the wording. Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Labukas and seconded by Mr. Morse, the Library Board adopted the Legislative Agenda as edited. 8. DRAFT INTERNET AND COMPUTER USE POLICY-1sT READING Mr. Webster mentioned that this policy has been consolidated to simplify it and make it clearer. The policy has been reviewed by the City Attorney. However, it might need a follow up review and update in the future. There was a discussion about internet filtering and access. There were some suggestions on the wording. Mr. Webster will include the changes in the second reading. He also remarked that all library policies are posted on the library's website. Upon a motion duly made by Ms. Johnson and seconded by Mr. Leopold, the Library Board approved the Draft Internet and Computer Policy on its 1st including corrections made. 9. DRAFT LIBRARY ARTWORK POLICY- 1ST READING Mr. Webster mentioned that the Falls Church Arts and Humanities Council (ACH) recently approved provisional Public Art Administrative Procedures to guide the commissioning, reviewing, accepting, and maintaining of public art in the City. The ACH procedures note that the library is exempted as it follows its own procedures and also has its own advisory Board. The draft Library Artwork Policy formalizes this in library policy, stating that final decisions about art in the library fall to the Library Director with advice from the Library Board. More specific library artwork procedures will be developed in the coming months. Upon a motion duly made by Mr. Morse and seconded by Ms. Labukas, the Library Board approved the Draft Artwork Policy on its 1st reading including suggestions and edits. 10. LIBRARY FOUNDATION REPORT No Report 11. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT No Report 12. SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON REPORT No Report 13. ARTS AND HUMANITIES COUNCIL REPORT No Report. 14. ON-GOING EQUITY DISCUSSION No discussion 15. BUSINESS NOT ON THE AGENDA None 16. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, upon a motion duly made by Mr. Leopold and seconded by Ms. McCray, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 7:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marshall Webster Acting Library Director Approved: ~~1se Stem Chairperson Copies: Board ofTrustees, City Manager, Library Reference Desk, Staff Bulletin Board, City Clerk, Library Web Page. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5032, TTY 711.  MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY LIBRARY BOARD MEETING November 15, 2023 GUEST SIGN-IN SHEET NAME ADDRESS EMAIL ~ );vJl &ao~ ~oO) ~~Son Qv;"-e &vtb ev-o-f'@~ rtJc :J &-l-i'l~da~ LLD o+ w f-b~ ~ w(h!Ld~ ~vFcVA · ~ov (f)a~A-L!r +l-ANJ'l41\ s v1 ??o ut&t ~ (tt ~ z.:z_.N L{ (p I ~ V~.tLv.S\.u ;~ ~ f~v lv ~1J--l v Page 1 BOARD SUCCESS Mary Riley Styles Public Library November 15, 2023 Reagen A. Thalacker, MLIS Public Library Consultant Library Development & Networking Division Library of Virginia Who are we? https://vpl.lib.va.us/ Agenda Founding Principles Advocacy Records Responsibilities Management Legal Relationships Information Founding Principles  First Amendment • “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 FOUNDING to assemble, and to petition the PRINCIPLES Government for a redress of grievances.” (1789) 14th Amendment • Extends this requirement to the states  Principles of Librarianship • Library Bill of Rights • Adopted 1939, Reaffirmed 1996 • Freedom to Read Statement Adopted 1953, Last amended FOUNDING • 2004 PRINCIPLES • Freedom to View Statement • Adopted 1990 • Libraries: An American Value • Adopted 1999 Responsibilities RESPONSIBILITIES ● Employment Assistance ● Board Meetings ● Mission ● Continuing Education ● Planning ● Services ● Laws ● Report ● Public Relations ● Funding Advisory Boards DO ● Advocate for library support, ● Assist library management in including seeking support for developing policies and annual or operational and budget proposals capital funding ● Provide support for ● Advocate for support of the management initiatives and library for local, state, decisions regional, and national library initiatives ● Advise their governing body ● Promote library services and on actions to take for the programs library Advisory Boards DO NOT ● Govern the library Governing bodies may ask advisory boards for their input or opinion on ● Hire, manage, or fire the library several activities given the nature of manager/director their work with library management. ● Hire, manage, or fire the other library staff members However, because they are “advisory” only in nature, governing ● Make decisions concerning bodies have the ultimate authority policies, hiring practices, salaries, and other library management and can accept, reject, or amend issues and tasks advisory board advice. Relationships  Board & DIRECTOR: ● Don’t micro-manage. The Director was hired for the library – let them do the job they were hired for. ● Ask questions and seek clarification and allow the Director to do the same. RELATIONSHIPS ● Address any issues early, don’t wait for annual reviews to bring something up. ● Be invested in their success – because their success is yours as well.  Board & STAFF: ● Any and all instruction(s) for Staff must go through the Director. ● No Trustee should intervene between Staff and the Director. Any issues should proceed through the hierarchy via the set grievance procedure. RELATIONSHIPS ● Trustees may occasionally work with Staff on committees, long-range planning, library social events, etc. ● Be interested in the work that’s done at all levels, because Staff makes the library what it is.  Board & FRIENDS GROUPS/FOUNDATIONS: ● Friends Groups and/or Foundations are separate 501c3 entities who serve as fundraising arms of the library. ● Maintaining strong collegial relationships between the Board of Trustees and these RELATIONSHIPS groups expands the pool of advocates for the library. ● If possible, there should be a Board liaison to the Friends and/or Foundation Board, and vice versa a Friends and/or Foundation liaison to the library Board.  Board & EVERYONE ELSE: ● Trustees are public representatives of the library and as such, whatever you do or say may reflect on the library. ● Board decisions should be reflective of RELATIONSHIPS what the library and community needs and not any one individual Trustee. ● After any decision is made by the Board, it speaks with one voice. Advocacy  What is it? ● Being vocal, visible, and well-informed ● Using the library and spreading the word ● Talking to individual groups about the library ● Working closely with local officials according to library’s plan ADVOCACY ● Telling people about being a Trustee ● Selling the philosophy and merits of high-quality library service ● Supporting the Friends of the Library and/or the library’s Foundation  Why do Trustees Advocate? ● You see the library from the user’s viewpoint ● You have a perspective on the full range of library services ADVOCACY ● You represent a broad base of consumers ● You are volunteer participants in government ● You are voters  How & When to Advocate? ● How do I advocate? ○ In every conversation you have promoting the library and its services ADVOCACY ● When do I advocate? ○ In every conversation you have promoting the library and its services Records Management RECORDS MANAGEMENT Why is this important? ● As a public body the library is accountable to the public. ● It is the permanent record of the business of the library ● Mismanagement of the records can reflect poorly on the library, ● Should they wish to, the public has can tarnish its reputation for being the right to request any and all a good steward of public funds public records. and/or can break the trust in the institution. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) Virginia Freedom of Information Act (§2.2-3700) “…the General Assembly ensures the people of the Commonwealth ready access to public records in the custody of a public body or its officers and employees, and free entry to meetings of public bodies wherein the business of the people is being conducted…” This includes public libraries. PUBLIC MEETINGS What is a public meeting under FOIA? 3 board members gathered + discussing library business PUBLIC RECORDS What are public records under FOIA? Any writing, images or recordings in any format + prepared or owned by, or in the possession of a public body or its agents + in the transaction of public business RETENTION What Do I Keep and How Long? • GS-19 or General Schedule 19 is for Records Retention & Disposal of documentation as it relates to administrative records for county and municipal governments. • This was developed by the Library of Virginia in accordance with the Virginia Public Records Act (§42.1-76) of the Code of Virginia. • There are dedicated Records Management folks at the Library of Virginia who can assist. E-MAIL You are responsible for Requests from the E-mail must remain managing your sent public must be honored accessible during the and received e-mail. the same as any other entire retention period. public record request. E-MAIL: BOARD TIPS • Use an official signature • Proofread for typos; beware of autocorrect! • Retain final e-mail in a thread in a dedicated Board e-mail folder • Use a useful subject line • Don’t put something in an e-mail that you wouldn’t want to see in tomorrow’s newspaper Final Thoughts • My aspirations for my library and its community are… • The challenges we face in reaching these aspirations are… • The changes needed in my community to reach our aspirations are… Current Issues: Legal Information Regarding Book Challenges  Legal Information to Be Aware of in Regards to Book Challenges ● This is legal information only and not legal advice. ● For any formal legal questions, please CURRENT consult local legal counsel. ISSUES  Book Challenges & the Law ● Viewpoint Discrimination ○ Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of Univ. of Virginia, 515 U.S. 819, 829 (1995) The First Amendment does not permit CURRENT viewpoint discrimination. The United States Supreme Court has held that “[v]iewpoint ISSUES discrimination is….an egregious form of content discrimination.”  Book Challenges & the Law ● Viewpoint Discrimination ○ Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 852 (1982) In the context of determining whether a school CURRENT library board impermissibly removed books from the collection, the United States Supreme ISSUES Court held that if the library “intended” by removing books to bar access to ideas with which they disagreed, then the removal is unconstitutional.  Book Challenges & the Law ● Viewpoint Discrimination ○ Building off of Pico ○ Mainstream Loudoun v. Board of Trustees of Loudoun, 2 F. Supp. 3d 783 (E.D. Va 1998) The court held that “the First Amendment applies CURRENT to, and limits, the discretion of the public library to place content-based restrictions on access to constitutionally protected materials within its ISSUES collection.” …”a public library, ‘like other enterprises operated by the State, may not be run in such a manner as to prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion.”  Book Challenges & the Law ● Segregation of Materials Burdens First Amendment Rights ○ Sund v City of Wichita Falls, 121 F. Supp. 2d (N.D. Tex. 2000) CURRENT The district court held that forced removal of books from the children’s room to the adult ISSUES section of the library placed a “significant burden on Library patron’s ability to gain access to those books.”  Book Challenges & the Law ● Segregation of Materials Burdens First Amendment Rights ○ Sund v City of Wichita Falls, 121 F. Supp. 2d (N.D. Tex. 2000) In response to the argument that parents have CURRENT the right to removal material with which they disagreed, the district court stated that “if a ISSUES parent wishes to prevent her child from reading a particular book, that parent can and should accompany the child to the Library, and should not prevent all children in the community from gaining access to constitutionally protected materials.”  Book Challenges & the Law ● Unprotected Categories of Speech ○ Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973) The United States Supreme Court has held that obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment. In determining whether material is obscene or not, a court must find that the material meets all three parts of the test: CURRENT 1. Whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law; ISSUES 2. Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards would find the work as a whole appeals to the prurient interest; and 3. Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.  Book Challenges & the Law ● Attorney’s Fees Current case in Llano County, Texas litigation has paid over $180,000 due to challenge materials If a library or other state entity is sued for a CURRENT violation of First Amendment rights and is successful in winning the case, the state entity ISSUES could be liable for not only the costs of the litigation and payment of fees for its own attorneys, but the court also can order that the state entity pay the attorneys’ fees of the plaintiffs who instituted the litigation. 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 RESOURCES Trustees Page - InfoCenter - Library Freedom of Information Act: Issues Development & Networking Division Impacting Library Boards (LDND) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO https://vpl.virginia.gov/tff/trustees/ 4-j-J-6r8 Library of Virginia – Records Management United for Libraries https://www.lva.virginia.gov/agencies/re http://www.ala.org/united/trustees cords/ Virginia Library Association American Library Association http://www.vla.org/ https://www.ala.org/ Questions?  Thank You for Your Service to Your Library and Your Community! Reagen A. Thalacker, MLIS Public Library Consultant Library Networking & Development Division Library of Virginia reagen.thalacker@lva.virginia.gov 804.692.3563 Legal Information Relevant to Materials Challenges Legal Disclaimer: The following is legal information, not legal advice. I. Viewpoint Discrimination Prohibited in Public Libraries It is well established that the First Amendment does not permit viewpoint discrimination. The United States Supreme Court has held that “[v]iewpoint discrimination is …. an egregious form of content discrimination.” Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of Univ. of Virginia, 515 U.S. 819, 829 (1995) (holding that UVA violated the First Amendment when it provided subsidies to student newspapers for printing costs but refused to provide such a subsidy for a student religious newspaper based on the viewpoint expressed in that publication). In the context of determining whether a school library board impermissibly removed books from the collection, the United States Supreme Court has held that if the library “intended” by removing books to bar access to ideas with which they disagreed, then the removal is unconstitutional. Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982). That applies equally in the context of a public library. In Mainstream Loudoun v. Board of Trustees of Loudoun, 2 F. Supp. 2d 783 (E.D. Va. 1998), relying on Pico, the court held that “the First Amendment applies to, and limits, the discretion of a public library to place content‐ based restrictions on access to constitutionally protected materials within its collection.” Id. at 794. The district court quoted Justice Blackmun’s concurrence in Pico to hold that “a public library, ‘like other enterprises operated by the State, may not be run in such a manner as to prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion.” Id. at 795. II. Segregation of Materials Burdens First Amendment Rights 1  In Sund v. City of Wichita Falls, 121 F. Supp. 2d 530 (N.D. Tex. 2000), the district court considered whether an ordinance that allowed for a petition from 300 library card holders to force removal of children’s books to an adult section was unconstitutional. A Petition was submitted to the library to remove two picture books: Daddy’s Roommate and Heather Has Two Mommies. They were removed to the adult section of the library based on the content and viewpoint expressed in the books. The district court held that the forced removal of books from the children’s room to the adult section of the library placed a “significant burden on Library patron’s ability to gain access to those books.” Id. at 550. The district court held it was a burden on First Amendment rights because “children who simply wish to browse in the children’s section of the library will never find the censored books…[and] parents browsing the children’s areas in search of books for their children will be unable to find the censored books.” Id. Defendants also argued that parents had a right to remove material with which they disagreed. The district court disagreed, however, holding that the ordinance did not support parents’ rights because “it permits a non‐parent to dictate what someone else’s children may read and allows one parent to suppress material not only for her own children, but for all others in the community.” Id. at 551. The district court held, moreover, that “if a parent wishes to prevent her child from reading a particular book, that parent can and should accompany the child to the Library, and should not prevent all children in the community from gaining access to constitutionally protected materials.” Id. The district court emphasized that “[w]here First Amendment rights are concerned, those seeking to restrict access to information should be forced to take affirmative steps to shield themselves from unwanted materials; the onus should not be on the general public to overcome barriers to their access to fully‐protected information.” Id. 2 III. Unprotected Categories of Speech The United States Supreme Court has held that obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment. In determining whether material is obscene, a court must find that the material meets all three parts of the test: 1. Whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law; 2. Whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards would find the work as a whole appeals to the prurient interest; and 3. Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973) (emphasis added). Importantly, the material must be examined as a whole and a final determination of obscenity can only be made by a court of law. Last summer a petition was filed with the Circuit Court in Virginia Beach asking that court to find that two books were obscene: In re Gender Queer and In a Court of Mist and Fury. The Statute allowed for a petition to challenge books as obscene, and the authors and publishers were given notice to respond. Pursuant to the statute, the petitioner also asked the court to enter a Temporary Restraining Order to block Barnes & Noble from selling the two books while the proceeding was pending. On August 30, 2022, the court found that the statute was unconstitutional for several reasons, including that it constituted an unconstitutional prior restraint by allowing for removal of materials while a hearing was pending. Notably, the court held that the submission of just excerpts from the books did not provide sufficient evidence that the books are obscene. IV. Current Cases 3  In Llano County, Texas, books were removed from the physical collection of the library, including books with LGBTQ themes and racial themes. Additionally, several picture books were removed, including In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. The district court entered a preliminary injunction and ordered the return of the books because evidence demonstrated that the books were removed based on viewpoint discrimination after members of the public complained and commented that they were personally offended by the books. The district court held that the books must be placed in the catalog and cannot be held in a “hidden library” with access only by request of a patron. Moreover, the district court held that there is a First Amendment violation even if the books were available through InterLibrary loan or through the digital collection of library materials. That case is on appeal to the Fifth Circuit. There are several other cases pending alleging viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment after books were removed from the library following complaints by community members or parents: (1) Crawford County, Arkansas: all LGBTQ books were removed from the Children’s and Young Adult sections of the public library and placed on restricted shelves accessible by adults; (2) Pickens County, South Carolina: a book entitled “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You” was removed from a high school library after three parents filed challenges to the book; (3) Lake County, Florida‐ a picture book entitled “And Tango Makes Three,” which recounts the true story of two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo in New York who incubated and hatched a baby chick, was removed from the elementary school library; and (4) Escambia County, Florida—over 150 books were removed from school libraries in the district including “And Tango Makes Three,” “The Bluest Eye” by Toni 5 Morrison, a picture book entitled “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” and “Kite Runner. These cases are pending. V. Attorneys’ Fees 4  Litigation can be costly. News reports indicate that the library board in Llano County has paid over $180,000 to its attorney to continue the litigation. The case involved document productions and depositions to ascertain the motive behind the removals. See https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/06/23/legal‐cost‐texas‐book‐ban. Additionally, if a library or other state entity is sued for a violation of First Amendment rights and is successful in winning the case, the state entity could be liable not only for the costs of the litigation and payment of fees for its own attorneys, but the court also can order that the state entity pay the attorneys’ fees of the plaintiffs who instituted the litigation. 42 U.S.C. Section 1983. Information compiled for Botetourt County Board of Trustees meeting on June 27, 2023. Provided by Theresa Chmara, General Counsel of the Freedom to Read Foundation. 5 Libraries: An American Value Libraries in America are cornerstones of the communities they serve. Free access to the books, ideas, resources, and information in America’s libraries is imperative for education, employment, enjoyment, and self-government. Libraries are a legacy to each generation, offering the heritage of the past and the promise of the future. To ensure that libraries flourish and have the freedom to promote and protect the public good in the 21st century, we believe certain principles must be guaranteed. To that end, we affirm this contract with the people we serve:  We defend the constitutional rights of all individuals, including children and teenagers, to use the library’s resources and services;  We value our nation’s diversity and strive to reflect that diversity by providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve;  We affirm the responsibility and the right of all parents and guardians to guide their own children’s use of the library and its resources and services;  We connect people and ideas by helping each person select from and effectively use the library’s resources;  We protect each individual’s privacy and confidentiality in the use of library resources and services;  We protect the rights of individuals to express their opinions about library resources and services;  We celebrate and preserve our democratic society by making available the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions and ideas, so that all individuals have the opportunity to become lifelong learners - informed, literate, educated, and culturally enriched. Change is constant, but these principles transcend change and endure in a dynamic technological, social, and political environment. By embracing these principles, libraries in the United States can contribute to a future that values and protects freedom of speech in a world that celebrates both our similarities and our differences, respects individuals and their beliefs, and holds all persons truly equal and free. Adopted February 3, 1999, by the Council of the American Library Association https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/americanvalue Freedom to View Statement The FREEDOM TO VIEW, along with the freedom to speak, to hear, and to read, is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. In a free society, there is no place for censorship of any medium of expression. Therefore these principles are affirmed: 1. To provide the broadest access to film, video, and other audiovisual materials because they are a means for the communication of ideas. Liberty of circulation is essential to insure the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression. 2. To protect the confidentiality of all individuals and institutions using film, video, and other audiovisual materials. 3. To provide film, video, and other audiovisual materials which represent a diversity of views and expression. Selection of a work does not constitute or imply agreement with or approval of the content. 4. To provide a diversity of viewpoints without the constraint of labeling or prejudging film, video, or other audiovisual materials on the basis of the moral, religious, or political beliefs of the producer or filmmaker or on the basis of controversial content. 5. To contest vigorously, by all lawful means, every encroachment upon the public's freedom to view. This statement was originally drafted by the Freedom to View Committee of the American Film and Video Association (formerly the Educational Film Library Association) and was adopted by the AFVA Board of Directors in February 1979. This statement was updated and approved by the AFVA Board of Directors in 1989. Endorsed January 10, 1990, by the ALA Council https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomviewstatement 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 or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label "controversial" views, 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 counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as individuals devoted to reading and as librarians and publishers responsible for disseminating ideas, wish to assert the public interest in the preservation of the freedom to read. Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. 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. These efforts at suppression are related to a larger pattern of pressures being brought against education, the press, art and images, films, broadcast media, and the Internet. 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 or unwelcome scrutiny by government officials. Such pressure toward conformity is perhaps natural to a time of accelerated change. 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 controversy and difference. Now as always in our history, reading is among our greatest freedoms. The freedom to read and write is almost the only means for making generally available ideas or manners of expression that can initially command only a small audience. The written word is the natural medium for the new idea and the untried voice from which come the original contributions to social growth. It is essential to the extended discussion that 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 toward 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 The Freedom to Read Statement 1 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 that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by 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 that 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 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 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 bar access to writings on the basis of the personal history or political affiliations of the author.  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 that 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. The Freedom to Read Statement 2   To some, much of modern expression 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 values differ, and values cannot be legislated; nor can machinery be devised that 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 the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its 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 others. 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; and by the government whenever it seeks to reduce or deny public access to public information.  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. Further, democratic societies are more safe, free, and creative when the free flow of public information is not restricted by governmental prerogative or self-censorship. 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 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 the freedom to read requires of all publishers and librarians the utmost of their faculties, and deserves of all Americans the fullest of their support. The Freedom to Read Statement 3 We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out a lofty claim for the value of the written word. We do so because we believe that it is 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, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee; amended January 28, 1972; January 16, 1991; July 12, 2000; June 30, 2004. A Joint Statement by:  American Library Association  Association of American Publishers Subsequently endorsed by:  American Booksellers for Free Expression  The Association of American University Presses  The Children's Book Council  Freedom to Read Foundation  National Association of College Stores  National Coalition Against Censorship  National Council of Teachers of English  The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement The Freedom to Read Statement 4 Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights Although the Articles of the Library Bill of Rights are unambiguous statements of basic principles that should govern the service of all libraries, questions do arise concerning application of these principles to specific library practices. Following are those documents designated by the Intellectual Freedom Committee as Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights and background statements detailing the philosophy and history of each. For convenience and easy reference, the documents are presented in alphabetical order. These documents are policies of the American Library Association, having been adopted by the ALA Council. Access to Digital Resources and Services: Digital resources and services allow libraries to significantly expand the scope of information available to users. Like all resources and services provided by the library, provision of access to digital resources and services should follow the principles outlined in the Library Bill of Rights to ensure equitable access regardless of content or platform. Amended 2019 Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors: Library policies and procedures that effectively deny minors equal and equitable 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. Amended 2019 Access to Library Resources and Services Regardless of Sex, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, or Sexual Orientation: 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 sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Amended 2020 Access to Resources and Services in the School Library: The school library plays a unique role in promoting intellectual freedom. It serves as a point of voluntary access to information and ideas and as a learning laboratory for students as they acquire critical thinking and problem-solving skills needed in a pluralistic society. Although the educational level and program of the school necessarily shapes the resources and services of a school library, the principles of the Library Bill of Rights apply equally to all libraries, including school libraries. Amended 2014 Challenged Resources: ALA declares as a matter of firm principle that it is the responsibility of every library to have a clearly defined written policy for collection development that includes a procedure for review of challenged resources. Amended 2019 Diverse Collections: Collection development should reflect the philosophy inherent in Article I of the Library Bill of Rights: “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.” A diverse collection should contain content by and about a wide array of people and cultures to authentically reflect a variety of ideas, information, stories, and experiences. Amended 2019 Economic Barriers to Information Access: All resources provided directly or indirectly by the library, regardless of format or method of delivery, should be readily and equitably accessible to all library users. Imposing any financial barrier may disadvantage users, and libraries of all types—public, school, and academic—should consider eliminating barriers that limit access to library resources and other services. Amended 2019 Education and Information Literacy: Libraries and library workers foster education and lifelong learning by promoting free expression and facilitating the exchange of ideas among users. Libraries use resources, programming, and services to strengthen access to information and thus build a foundation of intellectual freedom. In their roles as educators, library workers create an environment that nurtures intellectual freedom in all library resources and services. Amended 2019 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion: Libraries are essential to democracy and self-government, to personal development and social progress, and to every individual’s inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To that end, libraries and library workers should embrace equity, diversity, and inclusion in everything that they do. Adopted 2017 Evaluating Library Collections: Libraries continually develop their collections by adding and removing resources to maintain collections of current interest and usefulness to their communities. Libraries should adopt collection development and maintenance policies that include criteria for evaluating materials. Amended 2019 Expurgation of Library Materials: 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). Amended 2014 Internet Filtering: The negative effects of content filters on Internet access in public libraries and schools are demonstrable and documented. Consequently, consistent with previous resolutions, the American Library Association cannot recommend filtering. However the ALA recognizes that local libraries and schools are governed by local decision makers and local considerations and often must rely on federal or state funding for computers and internet access. Because adults and, to a lesser degree minors, have First Amendment rights, libraries and schools that choose to use content filters should implement policies and procedures that mitigate the negative effects of filtering to the greatest extent possible. The process should encourage and allow users to ask for filtered websites and content to be unblocked, with minimal delay and due respect for user privacy. Adopted 2015 Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries: A strong intellectual freedom perspective is critical to the development of academic library collections and services that dispassionately meet the education and research needs of a college or university community. The purpose of this statement is to outline how and where intellectual freedom principles fit into an academic library setting, thereby raising consciousness of the intellectual freedom context within which academic librarians work. Amended 2014 Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights 2 Labeling Systems: Prejudicial labeling systems assume that the libraries have the institutional wisdom to determine what is appropriate or inappropriate for its users to access. They presuppose that individuals must be directed in making up their minds about the ideas they examine. The American Library Association opposes the use of prejudicial labeling systems and affirms the rights of individuals to form their own opinions about resources they choose to read, view, listen to, or otherwise access. Adopted 2015 Library-Initiated Programs and Displays as a Resource: Library-initiated programs and displays utilize library worker expertise for community interests, collections, services, facilities, and providing access to information and information resources. They introduce users and potential users to library resources and the library’s role as a facilitator of information access. Concerns, questions, or complaints about library-initiated programs and displays are handled according to the same written policy and procedures that govern reconsiderations of other library resources. These policies should apply equally to all people, including, but not limited to, library users, staff, and members of the governing body. Amended 2019 Meeting Rooms: Many libraries provide meeting rooms and other spaces designated for use by the public for meetings and other events as a service to their communities. Article VI of the Library Bill of Rights states, “Libraries which make ... 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.” Amended 2019 Minors and Online Activity: The online environment offers opportunities for accessing, creating, and sharing information. The rights of minors to retrieve, create, and interact with information posted on the Internet in schools and libraries are extensions of their First Amendment rights. Amended 2019 Politics in American Libraries: The Library Bill of Rights specifically states that "all people" and "all points of view" should be included in library materials and information. There are no limiting qualifiers for viewpoint, origin, or politics. Adopted 2017 Prisoners' Right to Read: ALA asserts a compelling public interest in the preservation of intellectual freedom for individuals of any age held in jails, prisons, detention facilities, juvenile facilities, immigration facilities, prison work camps, and segregated units within any facility, whether public or private. Amended 2019 Privacy: All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. The American Library Association affirms that rights of privacy are necessary for intellectual freedom and are fundamental to the ethical practice of librarianship. Amended 2019 Rating Systems: Rating systems are tools or labels devised by individuals or organizations to advise people regarding suitability or content of materials. Rating systems appearing in library catalogs or discovery systems present distinct challenges to intellectual freedom principles. The American Library Association affirms the rights of individuals to form their own opinions about resources they choose to read or view. Amended 2019 Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights 3 Religion in American Libraries: The First Amendment guarantees the right of individuals to believe and practice their religion or practice no religion at all and prohibits government from establishing or endorsing a religion or religions. Thus the freedom of, for and from religion, are similarly guaranteed. Adopted 2016 Restricted Access to Library Materials: 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. Amended 2014 Services to People with Disabilities: Libraries should be fully inclusive of all members of their community and strive to break down barriers to access. The library can play a transformational role in helping facilitate more complete participation in society by providing fully accessible resources and services. Amended 2018 Universal Right to Free Expression: 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. Amended 2014 User-Generated Content in Library Discovery Systems: Libraries offer a variety of discovery systems to provide access to the resources in their collections. Such systems can include online public access catalogs (OPAC), library discovery products, institutional repositories, and archival systems. With the widespread use of library technology that incorporates social media components, intelligent objects, and knowledge-sharing tools comes the ability of libraries to provide greater opportunities for patron engagement in those discovery systems through user-generated content. These features may include the ability of users to contribute commentary such as reviews, simple point-and-click rating systems (e.g. one star to five stars), or to engage in extensive discussions or other social interactions. This kind of content could transform authoritative files, alter information architecture, and change the flow of information within the library discovery system. Amended 2019 User-Initiated Exhibits, Displays, and Bulletin Boards: Libraries may offer spaces for exhibits, displays, and bulletin boards in physical or digital formats as a benefit for their communities. The use of these spaces should conform to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. Amended 2019 Visual and Performing Arts in Libraries: Visual images and performances in the library should not be restricted based on content. Librarians and library staff should be proactive in seeking out a wide variety of representational and abstract artwork and performance art, with limitations or parameters set only with respect to space, installation, fiscal, and technical constraints. Adopted 2018 https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights 4 Library Bill of Rights 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. VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information. Adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019. Inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996. Although the Articles of the Library Bill of Rights are unambiguous statements of basic principles that should govern the service of all libraries, questions do arise concerning application of these principles to specific library practices. See the documents designated by the Intellectual Freedom Committee as Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill First Amendment and Censorship “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 of the U.S. Constitution passed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791. One of the ten amendments of the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment gives everyone residing in the United States the right to hear all sides of every issue and to make their own judgments about those issues without government interference or limitations. The First Amendment allows individuals to speak, publish, read and view what they wish, worship (or not worship) as they wish, associate with whomever they choose, and gather together to ask the government to make changes in the law or to correct the wrongs in society. The right to speak and the right to publish under the First Amendment has been interpreted widely to protect individuals and society from government attempts to suppress ideas and information, and to forbid government censorship of books, magazines, and newspapers as well as art, film, music and materials on the internet. The Supreme Court and other courts have held conclusively that there is a First Amendment right to receive information as a corollary to the right to speak. Justice William Brennan elaborated on this point in 1965: “The protection of the Bill of Rights goes beyond the specific guarantees to protect from Congressional abridgment those equally fundamental personal rights necessary to make the express guarantees fully meaningful. I think the right to receive publications is such a fundamental right. The dissemination of ideas can accomplish nothing if otherwise willing addressees are not free to receive and consider them. It would be a barren marketplace of ideas that had only sellers and no buyers.” Lamont v. Postmaster General, 381 U.S. 301 (1965). The Supreme Court reaffirmed that the right to receive information is a fundamental right protected under the U.S. Constitution when it considered whether a local school board violated the Constitution by removing books from a school library. In that decision, the Supreme Court held that “the right to receive ideas is a necessary predicate to the recipient’s meaningful exercise of his own rights of speech, press, and political freedom.” Board of Education v. Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982) Public schools and public libraries, as public institutions, have been the setting for legal battles about student access to books, the removal or retention of “offensive” material, regulation of patron behavior, and limitations on public access to the internet. Restrictions and censorship of materials in public institutions are most commonly prompted by public complaints about those materials and implemented by government officials mindful of the importance some of their constituents may place on religious values, moral sensibilities, and the desire to protect children from materials they deem to be offensive or inappropriate. Directly or indirectly, ordinary individuals are the driving force behind the challenges to the freedom to access information and ideas in the library. The First Amendment prevents public institutions from compromising individuals' First Amendment freedoms by establishing a framework that defines critical rights and responsibilities regarding free expression and the freedom of belief. The First Amendment protects the right to exercise those freedoms, and it advocates respect for the right of others to do the same. Rather than engaging in First Amendment and Censorship 1 censorship and repression to advance one's values and beliefs, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis counsels persons living in the United States to resolve their differences in values and belief by resort to "more speech, not enforced silence." By virtue of the Fourteenth Amendment, the First Amendment's constitutional right of free speech and intellectual freedom also applies to state and local governments. Government agencies and government officials are forbidden from regulating or restricting speech or other expression based on its content or viewpoint. Criticism of the government, political dissatisfaction, and advocacy of unpopular ideas that people may find distasteful or against public policy are nearly always protected by the First Amendment. Only that expression that is shown to belong to a few narrow categories of speech is not protected by the First Amendment. The categories of unprotected speech include obscenity, child pornography, defamatory speech, false advertising, true threats, and fighting words. Deciding what is and is not protected speech is reserved to courts of law. The First Amendment only prevents government restrictions on speech. It does not prevent restrictions on speech imposed by private individuals or businesses. Facebook and other social media can regulate or restrict speech hosted on their platforms because they are private entities. First Amendment Resources  Clauses of the First Amendment | The National Constitution Center  First Amendment FAQ | Freedom Forum  Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition: Common Interpretations and Matters for Debate | National Constitution Center  First Amendment - Religion and Expression | FindLaw What is Censorship? Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that some individuals, groups, or government officials find objectionable or dangerous. Would-be censors try to use the power of the state to impose their view of what is truthful and appropriate, or offensive and objectionable, on everyone else. Censors pressure public institutions, like libraries, to suppress and remove information they judge inappropriate or dangerous from public access, so that no one else has the chance to read or view the material and make up their own minds about it. The censor wants to prejudge materials for everyone. It is no more complicated than someone saying, “Don’t let anyone read this book, or buy that magazine, or view that film, because I object to it!” “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” — Article 3, Library Bill of Rights ALA Statements and Policies on Censorship Challenged Resources: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (2019) 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 First Amendment and Censorship 2 library, thereby restricting the access of others. ALA declares as a matter of firm principle that it is the responsibility of every library to have a clearly defined written policy for collection development that includes a procedure for review of challenged resources. Labeling Systems: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (2015) The American Library Association affirms the rights of individuals to form their own opinions about resources they choose to read, view, listen to, or otherwise access. Libraries do not advocate the ideas found in their collections or in resources accessible through the library. The presence of books and other resources in a library does not indicate endorsement of their contents by the library. Likewise, providing access to digital information does not indicate endorsement or approval of that information by the library. Labeling systems present distinct challenges to these intellectual freedom principles. Rating Systems: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (2019) Libraries, no matter their size, contain an enormous wealth of viewpoints and are responsible for making those viewpoints available to all. However, libraries do not advocate or endorse the content found in their collections or in resources made accessible through the library. Rating systems appearing in library public access catalogs or resource discovery tools present distinct challenges to these intellectual freedom principles. Q&A on Labeling and Rating Systems Expurgation of Library Materials: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (2014) 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). Restricted Access to Library Materials: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights (2014) 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. Core Documents  Library Bill of Rights (1939) Adopted by ALA Council, the Articles of the Library Bill of Rights are unambiguous statements of basic principles that should govern the service of all libraries. (printable pamphlets)  Freedom to Read Statement (1953) A collaborative statement by literary, publishing, and censorship organizations declaring the importance of our constitutionally protected right to access information and affirming the need for our professions to oppose censorship.  Libraries: An American Value (1999) Adopted by ALA Council, this brief statement pronounces the distinguished place libraries hold in our society and their core tenets of access to materials and diversity of ideas. Guidelines  Guidelines for Library Policies (2019) Guidelines for librarians, governing authorities, and other library staff and library users on how constitutional principles apply to libraries in the United States. First Amendment and Censorship 3   Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q&A (2007)  Social Media Guidelines for Public and Academic Libraries (2018)  These guidelines provide a policy and implementation framework for public and academic libraries engaging in the use of social media. Publications  Intellectual Freedom Manual (2021) Edited by Martin Garnar and Trina Magi with ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom The 10th edition manual is an indispensable resource for day-to-day guidance on maintaining free and equal access to information for all people  Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy (2016 - present) Edited by Shannon Oltmann with ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom Published quarterly, JIFP offers articles related to intellectual freedom and privacy, both in libraries and in the wider world.  True Stories of Censorship Battles in America's Libraries (2012) By Valerie Nye and Kathy Barco This book is a collection of accounts from librarians who have dealt with censorship in some form. Divided into seven parts, the book covers intralibrary censorship, child-oriented protectionism, the importance of building strong policies, experiences working with sensitive materials, public debates and controversies, criminal patrons, and library displays.  Beyond Banned Books: Defending Intellectual Freedom throughout Your Library (2019) By Kristin Pekoll with ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom A level-headed guide that uses specific case studies to offer practical guidance on safeguarding intellectual freedom related to library displays, programming, and other librarian-created content.  Lessons in Censorship: How Schools and Courts Subvert Students' First Amendment Rights (2015) By Catherine J. Ross Lessons in Censorship highlights the troubling and growing tendency of schools to clamp down on off-campus speech such as texting and sexting and reveals how well-intentioned measures to counter verbal bullying and hate speech may impinge on free speech. Throughout, Ross proposes ways to protect free expression without disrupting education. Assistance and Consultation The staff of the Office for Intellectual Freedom is available to answer questions or provide assistance to librarians, trustees, educators, and the public about the First Amendment and censorship. Areas of assistance include policy development, minors’ rights, and professional ethics. Inquiries can be directed via email to oif@ala.org or via phone at (312) 280-4226. Updated October 2021 https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship -- Printed July 2022 First Amendment and Censorship 4