• Behavior Guidelines
• Internet and Electronic Resources Policy & Guidelines for Use of Library Workstations and Access to the Internet
• Material Selection Policy
• Meeting Room Policy & Rules
• Public Records Policy
• Unattended Children

Public Records Policy

SECTION 1. PUBLIC RECORDS

SECTION 2. RECORD REQUESTS

• Volume of records requested
• Where the records are stored
• Necessity for legal review of the requested records

SECTION 3. COSTS FOR PUBLIC RECORDS

• The charge for paper copies is $.10 per page
• The charge for downloaded files to a compact disc is $1.00 per disc
• If documents are mailed, the cost of postage and mailing supplies will be charged
• There is no charge for emailed documents

SECTION 4. RECORDS CUSTODIAN

The Euclid Public Library offers access to information resources on the Internet in response to advances in technology and to the changing information needs of the community. Internet access is one component of the library's purpose to provide access to key resources so all people can be informed, enriched, contributing members of the community.

Use of the library's electronic resources and access to the Internet shall be governed by Guidelines issued, and from time to time amended, by the Board of Trustees of the Euclid Public Library.

The Internet, as a worldwide computer network, enables the library to provide information beyond the confines of its own collection. It allows access to ideas, information and commentary from around the globe. Not all Internet sources provide accurate, complete, or current information, and some may be offensive. The Internet is a rapidly changing environment. The library does not monitor and has no control over the information accessed through the Internet and is not responsible for its content. Users shall be responsible for determining that the information they access is acceptable, reliable, and suitable for their needs.

In introducing the Internet as an information resource, the Euclid Public Library's goal is to enhance its existing collection in size and depth, and to provide the opportunity for any citizen to utilize the resources of the Internet.

As with all library materials, parents, guardians and caregivers are responsible for their children's use of the Internet. Library staff cannot control the information, destinations, or communications that children may select on the Internet. Parents are encouraged to work with their children to develop acceptable rules for Internet use. Parents and children are also encouraged to read Child Safety on the Information Highway, jointly produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Interactive Services Association. This publication is available at all library service desks. Library staff is available to provide assistance and to help identify appropriate sites. The user, however, is the selector in using the Internet by making individual choices and decisions. Users shall comply with all age restrictions governing access to sites, as limited by the content provider, to usage by persons over 18 or 21 years of age.

Internet access supports the library's purpose of providing access to key resources so that all people can be informed, enriched, contributing members of the community. Library electronic resources shall not be used to receive or transmit materials which may reasonably be construed as obscene, or to violate the harmful to minors statute of the Ohio Revised Code.

All uses of the library's electronic resources, including access to the Internet, shall be at the user's own risk. In no event shall the Euclid Public Library be responsible for any claims, losses, damages, obligations or liabilities, directly or indirectly relating to the use of the Euclid Public Library's electronic resources and/or the Internet, or caused thereby or arising there from.

In no event shall the Euclid Public Library have any liability for lost profits or for indirect special, punitive, or consequential damages or any liability to any third party, even if the library is advised of the possibility of such damages.

Misuse of the electronic resources of the library, or of Internet access, will result in the loss of computer privileges for the user.

Copies of this Policy and Guidelines adopted there under shall be available at all library service desks, and made available on the library's website.

Guidelines for Use of Library Workstations and
Access to the Internet

The following guidelines shall govern all usage of library electronic resources and access to the Internet.

1. Usage of the electronic resources of the Euclid Public Library shall be evidence of the user's acknowledgement and acceptance of these guidelines, and the user agreement to be bound by them.
2. The library may establish procedures governing the use of workstations. These procedures may include time limits, advance registration, or other measures to assure equitable access to workstations.
3. Under no circumstances may customers use their personal software or hardware on the library's workstations or network.
4. Software downloaded from the Internet may contain computer viruses. Every user is responsible for maintaining virus checking software on his/her home computer. Users agree that the Euclid Public Library shall not be responsible for damage to any user's disk or computer, or any loss of data, damage, or liability that may occur from customer use of the library's computers. If users wish to save files from the library's word processors, they may use their own diskettes or purchase them from the library at cost.
5. Access to various sites on the Internet may be difficult at times, for the following reasons:
   ¨ There may be too many visitors on the site.
   ¨ The host computer has limited or closed access.
   ¨ The host computer has changed its address or has closed down.
   ¨ The library's Internet connection may be inoperable due to technical difficulties. Such difficulties will be corrected as quickly as possible.
6. Library staff are available to offer assistance to customers in using the Internet. Because of the many applications available over the Internet, library staff may not always be familiar with specific programs customers wish to use. In these cases the customer is responsible for learning how to use the program or website; the library cannot provide technical instruction.
7. If customers experience any problems with the workstation or programs, they should notify library staff immediately.
8. Users must be sensitive to the fact that Internet stations are in public locations, and therefore images on the screen are subject to being viewed by a wide audience. The Library reserves the right to challenge material that in its judgment is inappropriate for viewing in a public area. This may include material which the user does not find personally offensive. The user may be asked to move to a different computer location or to exit the Internet site in use. Users shall comply with all age restrictions governing access to sites, limited by the content provider, to usage by persons over 18 or 21 years of age.
9. Materials obtained or copied on this computer network may be subject to copyright laws which govern the making of reproductions of copyrighted works. A work protected by copyright may not be copied without permission of the copyright owner unless the proposed use falls within the definition of "Fair Use." Users shall be responsible for compliance with all Federal and State laws governing copyrighted material.
10. All users of the electronic resources of the library agree to hold the Euclid Public Library harmless for any and all claims, losses, damages, obligations, or liabilities directly or indirectly relating to the use of the Internet or library electronic resources.
11. There is no fee for printing computer or Internet documents. The librarian may limit printing privileges when printing interferes with others' access to this service.
12. The library provides free access to the Internet as part of its mission. Misuse of the electronic resources of the library or of Internet access will result in the loss of computer privileges for the user.

Meeting Room Rules

• Meeting rooms are available on a first-come basis to qualified groups. Library meetings take precedence over all other use. The Library reserves the right to assign and change meeting rooms or cancel use of meeting rooms by an outside organization if the Director determines the space is needed for library purposes. Such “bumping” would be done only after an attempt to provide an alternative location or date for the group had failed.
• The Library reports statistics on use of its meeting rooms. An attendance sheet will be given to you at the time of each meeting. At the conclusion of your meeting, please fill in the attendance sheet and turn it in at the Circulation Desk.
• The name, address, or telephone number of the library may NOT be used as the contact address or headquarters of an organization.
• The use of the meeting room by a non-library group shall not be publicized in such a way as to imply library sponsorship of the group’s activities unless the activity is being co-sponsored by the Library.
• Each group is responsible for setting up its assigned room and restoring it to its originalcondition after the meeting. A group representative must check in at the Circulation Desk to gain admittance to the meeting room. Groups may have access to the room 1/2 hour before the scheduled meeting time to allow for setup.
• Groups are responsible for transporting, setting up, and operating their own equipment. A cart can be provided upon request for bringing such equipment into the building. Groups may not store or leave their equipment at the library overnight.
• Library audiovisual equipment is available for use during meetings held at the library. Groups are responsible for operating any equipment furnished. Reservations for available items must be made with the Community Relations Coordinator at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting date.
• Light refreshments are permissible in all meeting rooms. Only the Shore Room has access to a small efficiency kitchen. The kitchen cannot accommodate food preparation, storage, or cooking. Groups must supply their own serving dishes, utensils, trays, and related items. No refreshments are permitted in other areas of the library.
• “No Smoking” and “No Alcoholic Beverage” rules are strictly enforced.
• Notice of cancellation of a meeting should be given to the Community Relations Coordinator at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting time. Even in inclement weather, when 48 hour notice is not possible, the library should be notified of cancellations. It is also recommended that groups contact the library in inclement weather to be sure it is open.
• Meetings must be conducted so as not to disturb others using the library. Groups who disturb library activity or library users will be denied future use of meeting rooms.
• Adults must be present at a meeting and assume responsibility for children in their group.
• Children must not be left unattended in the library while their caregivers attend a meeting.
• Meeting room groups are not permitted to tack, tape, or post any signs or materials on meeting room doors, walls, or elsewhere in the library. An easel or clipboard is available upon request.
• Groups may not transfer the use of rooms to other groups.
• Except in cases of emergency, messages cannot be conveyed to meeting room guests.
• Meeting rooms are not available for receptions or private parties. Purely social functions may be sponsored only by the Library and the Friends of the Library.
• The library and its meeting rooms are wheelchair accessible. Any other special needs of handicapped persons should be brought to the attention of the Community Relations Coordinator at least 48 hours in advance of a scheduled meeting so that, if possible, the request can be filled.

• Failure to abide by these rules for meeting room use may be justification for denying the group future use of the meeting rooms.
• In addition to the sponsoring group, the adult representative of the group who signs the application agrees to assume responsibility for the group’s adherence to the rules and any damages to the facility or equipment which may occur as a result of the group’s use.
• The library is not liable for injuries to people, damage to their property, or loss of property belonging to individuals or groups using the meeting rooms. Whenever personal injury or loss/damage to property occurs in connection with use of the meeting room, the incident must be reported to the staff member in charge of the library and an incident report must be completed.

How to Book Rooms

To request use of a meeting room:

1. You must be 18 years of age or older.
2. Rooms must be reserved in advance with the library’s Community Relations Coordinator. Contact the Community Relations Department between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at 261-5300 xt 118. Tentative reservations can be made in person or by telephone, but a completed application form must follow the oral request.
3. Fill out a meeting room application form to request use of the meeting room. Forms are available in the Community Relations Department or administrative reception area. The person completing and signing the form must be a Euclid resident.
4. Shortly after you return the completed application form you will receive in the mail written notice of approval of the request. The library reserves the right to deny use of its meeting rooms. You are NOT permitted to use the meeting room until your request has been formally approved.
5. Meeting rooms are available for public use when the library is open, but must be vacated 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time of closing.
6. Use of the meeting rooms is based upon an August through July program year. The maximum length of meeting room agreements is one year. Groups are limited to two room uses per week.

1. The use of all meeting rooms is free.
2. A fee may be charged if the group’s use of the room has resulted in the need for repair to library furnishings, or if excessive clean-up is required by library staff. Imposition of this fee will be at the discretion of the library Director.
3. The Euclid Public Library reserves the right to alter or amend the rules governing the use of library meeting rooms without notice, and to cancel any room use agreement for any reason deemed sufficient
   by it. By executing an agreement with the library, any organization thereby assents to the Library’s policies and regulations.

 

Behavior Guidelines

Euclid Public Library is open to all individuals without regard to age, race, religion, national origin, mental or physical disability, social or political views. The library is dedicated to providing an atmosphere conducive to study, reading, and the legitimate use of library materials and services.

In order to foster this environment, it is necessary that each person act in a manner which is respectful of library functions and considerate of other patrons and library staff. Any behavior or condition which disrupts the orderly use of the library, normal library operations, or affects the staff's ability to provide service to the public is prohibited. Patrons whose behavior is disruptive or in violation of library policy may be asked to leave the building.

The following behavior is not permitted because it interferes with the use of the library by others, is a health or safety hazard or because it is not consistent with the mission of the library.

• Sleeping, playing games and/or other activities which interfere with library use
• Using the library without shirt or shoes
• Wearing swimsuits in the building
• Eating/drinking/smoking in the building
• Playing audio equipment so others can hear it
• Bathing in the public restrooms
• Using rollerblades, rollerskates, skate boards or other sports equipment in the library or on library property
• Blocking aisles so access to library materials and services is prevented
• Loitering
• Entering unauthorized workspaces or office areas
• Interfering with another's legitimate use and enjoyment of the library and its materials

When necessary, the library will work with law enforcement authorities to prosecute actions for criminal behavior against the library, its patrons and staff, including but not limited to:

• Loud, abusive, aggressive, threatening, harassing, or obscene language and/or behavior (disorderly conduct)
• Defacing or damaging library materials, furniture or other property
• Using or distributing illegal drugs
• Circumventing or attempting to circumvent the library security system
• Tampering with, altering, editing, or damaging computer hardware and/or software

In the event of an emergency, patrons must comply with the instructions from library personnel.

Animals are not permitted in the library except for those assisting disabled persons and those involved in library-sponsored programs.

Valuables and personal belongings should not be left unattended. The library is not responsible for damaged, lost or stolen articles.

The library's study rooms are limited to a maximum of 1 person.

Statement of Purpose 

"As a community center for enrichment, Euclid Public Library is committed to providing a variety of resources to meet the lifelong learning needs of our citizens." This purpose statement was adopted February 28, 2000 by the Euclid Public Library Board of Trustees

Making all the library’s resources available on an equal basis requires that certain rules of behavior be established and followed by all.

To maintain an atmosphere in which learning and exchange of information can take place, Euclid Public Library’s board of trustees has adopted a policy concerning unattended children.

Unattended Children Policy

The Euclid Public Library Board of Trustees recognizes when children are left alone in the library without parental supervision, their safety may be jeopardized. Library policy defines an unattended child as one unable to care for self or in need of assistance after being left unattended in the building, even though a parent or caregiver may be elsewhere in the building.

Children left unattended can wander throughout the library and can easily go outside alone. They may even be coaxed away by someone other than the parent or caregiver. Other unavoidable hazards include doors, furniture, and electrical outlets.

The Trustees are concerned for the well-being of our community’s children, and must affirm that the library staff cannot take the place of parents, nor act as caregiver or babysitter, and cannot be responsible for problems resulting from children being left unattended.

Suggestions 

To be sure your child is well cared for at all times in the library, we suggest the following: 

• If you expect to be busy in the library attending a meeting, using a copier or computer, or selecting materials, for example, plan to leave your child at home or bring an adult caregiver with you to the library. Do not expect one child to supervise another.
• Arrange to have your child picked up before closing time by a responsible adult. If any child remains at closing, the Euclid Police Department will be called. At closing the building is locked, and no one is available to oversee the exterior or adjacent grounds.

Mutual Goals

The library is a source of information, education, and recreation for everyone in our city. We are sure you want us to maintain that role with a high level of service and safety.  Your cooperation and concern for your child’s welfare in the library will help us do our job even better.

As a community center for enrichment, Euclid Public Library is committed to providing a variety of resources to meet the lifelong learning needs of our citizens. This purpose statement was adopted February 28, 2000 by the Euclid Public Library Board of Trustees.

The Euclid Public Library Board of Trustees recognizes that the United States is a country in which the right to free expression is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. People may speak, hear, read, and view what they choose no matter how popular or unpopular it may be because democracy functions only when the full range of ideas is available to all people. The public library is the institution in our society which provides material representing all points of view in all fields, including political, social and religious, no matter how controversial or objectionable these ideas may be to some people. Therefore, the Euclid Public Library, within the limits of selection standards, budget and space offers a collection that is varied, divergent, inclusive and protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution, the Constitution of the State of Ohio, and the library Board's endorsement of the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights. In addition, the Board of Trustees endorses the following: Free Access to Libraries for Minors, Diversity in Collection Development, and Freedom to Read and Freedom to View (see attached documents).

Community Served

The Euclid Public Library is a school district library whose primary service area is the Euclid City School District. The library voluntarily participates in the statewide access program entitled "Libraries of Ohio Access Network" (LOAN) which provides walk-in borrowing privileges of printed materials to any Ohio resident.

Objectives of the Collection

The library collection is selected and maintained to enable each person to find the library materials and information that she or he wants according to her or his own free choice. No material will be excluded because of the race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political or social view of either the author or of the material. The collection, taken as a whole, will be an unbiased and diverse source of information representing as many viewpoints as possible. Subjects and viewpoints will be covered in sufficient depth and breadth to meet anticipated and expressed community needs. The Board recognizes that library resources are not unlimited. Selection of materials must adhere to budget allocations. Resource sharing with other libraries and electronic access are valid ways of meeting customer needs.

Selection of materials by the library does not mean endorsement of the contents or views expressed in those materials.

Materials and Resources Selection

The Board of Trustees recognizes the pluralistic nature of the community and the varied backgrounds and needs of all citizens regardless of age, race, creed, gender, or political persuasion. It declares as a matter of policy:

• Selection of books, materials, and electronic resources shall be vested in the Director, and, under this direction, by Staff who are delegated. Any book, material, and/or electronic resource so selected shall be held to be selected by the Board.
• The library Trustees and Staff recognize the changing nature of the Internet and provide access to Internet resources within this understanding. Electronic resources may change in format and content after selection, and it is possible that a resource may not conform to the Library's selection criteria at any given time. Library Staff will review the content of electronic resources on a regular basis to assess their continued value in terms of meeting the informational, educational, and recreational needs of the community.
• The Board recognizes that full, confidential, and unrestricted access to information is essential in order for citizens to exercise their constitutional rights. The Board believes censorship is an individual matter and declares that while one is free to reject for oneself books, materials, and electronic resources of which one does not approve, one cannot exercise the right of censorship to restrict the intellectual freedom of others to read and inquire.
• The library Staff does not act in loco parentis. Decisions concerning a child's use of specific library materials and/or electronic resources are the responsibility of the child's parent or guardian.

All acquisitions, whether purchased or donated, are considered in terms of the criteria listed below. Not every item is subject to each criterion, nor does an item have to meet a certain number of criteria for inclusion in the collection. Rather, these are general parameters within which selection decisions are made.

• Suitability of subject and style for the intended audience
• Present and potential relevance to community needs
• Relation to the existing collection
• Reputation and significance of the author or publisher
• Presentation of varying viewpoints
• Cost
• Accuracy
• Reviews
• Currency
• Inclusion in standard library indexes and tools
• Physical format or condition
• Patron request

Controversial Materials

The library has a responsibility to provide a representative collection of materials on varied subjects of interest to the community, including controversial matters. The library makes an effort to provide information that represents balanced coverage of diverse opinions so individuals can examine all sides of an issue. A balanced collection reflects a diversity of materials, not necessarily an equality of numbers. Materials are chosen on the basis of content as a whole and are not excluded because of the origin , background or views of those contributing to their creation.

Materials in any format that contain frank treatments of certain situations, language, or illustrations which may be objectionable to some individuals are included if they meet general selection criteria. Each work must be judged on its own merit, considering the audience for whom it is intended. The library has a responsibility to protect the rights of mature or sophisticated users by providing materials that are well-balanced, authoritative and up-to-date.

Collection Maintenance

In order to ensure a vital and relevant collection for the community, it is necessary to continually evaluate the usefulness of materials and resources previously added to the collection. Criteria considered in removing items from the collection include:

• Physical condition
• Duplication of material no longer in demand
• Currency of material
• Availability of newer and better materials in a field
• Popularity of the title or subject
• Depth of the library's collection on a subject

Duplication

Titles are duplicated in areas where user demand is heavy and sustained. The library does not maintain sufficient copies of individual titles to meet classroom demand.

Binding/Replacement

Books basic to the collection and physically suitable for binding are rebound if they cannot be replaced. Books that can only be purchased in a nondurable format are bound before circulating.

Materials withdrawn because of loss, damage or other factors are considered for replacement. The same criteria apply to replacements as to original selection. In addition, the following factors are considered:

• Availability of newer and better materials in the field
• Scope of the library's collection on the subject
• Popularity of the title or subject

Euclid Public Library accepts gifts of books and other library materials with the understanding that they will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria applied to materials selected for the collection. The library reserves the right to dispose of any material that cannot be used in the collection in any way it deems appropriate.

Money can be donated for the purchase of a specific item as a memorial gift. The item must meet all criteria of the regular selection process.

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 service:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
4. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgement of free expression and free access to ideas.
5. A person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
6. 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.

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

Some library procedures and practices effectively deny minors access to certain services and materials available to adults. Such procedures and practices are not in accord with the Library Bill of Rights and are opposed by the American Library Association.

Restrictions take a variety of forms, including among others, restricted reading rooms for adult use only, library cards limiting circulation of some materials to adults only, closed collections for adult use only, collections limited to teacher use, or restricted according to a student's grade level, and interlibrary loan services for adult use only.

Article 5 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." All limitations on minors' access to library materials and services violate that article. The "right to use a library" includes use of, and access to, all library materials and services. Thus, practices which allow adults to use some services and materials which are denied to minors abridge the use of libraries based on age.

Material selection decisions are often made and restrictions are often initiated under the assumption that certain materials may be "harmful" to minors, or in an effort to avoid controversy with parents. Libraries or library Boards which would restrict the access of minors to materials and services because of actual or suspected parental objections should bear in mind that they do not serve in loco parentis. Varied levels of intellectual development among young people and differing family background and child-rearing philosophies are significant factors not accommodated by a uniform policy based upon age.

In today's world, children are exposed to adult life much earlier than in the past. They read materials and view a variety of media on the adult level at home and elsewhere. Current emphasis upon early childhood education has also increased opportunities for young people to learn and to have access to materials, and has decreased the validity of using chronological age as an index to the use of libraries. The period of time during which children are interested in reading materials specifically designed for them grows steadily shorter, and librarians must recognize and adjust to this change if they wish to serve young people effectively. Librarians have a responsibility to ensure that young people have access to a wide range of informational and recreational materials and services that reflects sufficient diversity to meet the young person's needs.

The American Library Association opposes libraries restricting access to library materials and services for minors and holds that it is the parents - and only the parents - who may restrict their children - and only their children - from access to library materials and services. Parents who would rather their children did not have access to certain materials should so advise their children. The library and its staff are responsible for providing equal access to library materials and services for all library users.

The word "age" was incorporated into Article 5 of the Library Bill of Rights because young people are entitled to the same access to libraries and to the materials in libraries as are adults. Materials selection should not be diluted on that account.

Adopted June 30, 1972; amended July 1, 1981 by the ALA Council

Diversity in Collection Development
An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

Throughout history, the focus of censorship has vacillated 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, and/or sexual forms of expression.

Some examples of this 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 offensive to the librarian or the user. Collection development should reflect the philosophy inherent in Article 2 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 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, equitable, and to give all library users equal protection in guarding against violation of the library patrons' liberty 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 or materials based on personal bias or prejudice, and to select and support 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, promotes no causes, furthers no movements, and favors no viewpoints. It only 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 by the ALA Council

The Freedom to Read
From the Intellectual Freedom Manual

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 fundaments premise of democracy: that the ordinary citizen, by exercising his 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, film, 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 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 men 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 his idea is defined 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 options 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 wold 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 man 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 men 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. Bust is not much of life 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 discharges 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 idea 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 each individual must be directed in making up his mind about the ideas he examines. 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 each individual is free to determine for himself what he wishes 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 concepts of politics 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, bookmen can demonstrate that the answer to a bad book is a good one, the answer to a bad idea is a good one.

We state these propositions neither lightly nor as easy generalizations. We here stake out 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 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 1953 by the Westchester Conference of the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers Council. Adopted June 25, 1953. Revised January 28,1972 by the ALA Council.

Freedom to View - Appendix A
From the Intellectual Freedom Manual

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 possible 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 and 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.