American Library Association (ALA) TH E FREED OM TO R EA D

The fr eedom t o r ead i s essenti al t o our democr acy. I t i s conti nuousl y under att ack. Pr i vat e gr oups and publ i c aut hor i ti es i n various par t s of t he countr y ar e wor ki ng t o r emove or l i mi t access t o r eadi ng mat er i al s, t o censor content i n schools, t o l abel “cont r oversi al” vi ews, t o di st ri bute l ists of “obj ectionabl e” books or author s, and t o pur ge li br ar ies. These act i ons appar ent l y ri se fr om a vi ew t hat our nat i onal t r adi t i on of fr ee expr ession i s no l onger vali d; t hat censor ship and suppr essi on are needed t o count er t hr eat s t o safet y or nat i onal secur it y, as wel l as t o avoi d t he subver si on of pol i ti cs and t he corr uption of mor al s. We, as i ndi vi dual s devoted t o r eadi ng and as l i br ari ans and publ i sher s r esponsibl e for di ssemi nat i ng i deas, wi sh t o asser t t he publ i c i nt er est i n t he preser vat i on of t he fr eedom t o r ead.

M ost att empt s at suppr essi on r est on a deni al of t he funda ment al pr emi se of de mocr acy: t hat t he or di nar y i ndi vi dual , by exer ci si ng cr it i cal j udgment , wi l l sel ect t he good and r eject t he bad. We t r ust Amer icans t o r ecognize propaganda and mi si nfor mat i on, and t o make t hei r own deci si ons about what t hey r ead and bel i eve. We do not beli eve t hey ar e pr epared t o sacr i fice t hei r heri tage of a fr ee pr ess i n or der t o be “pr ot ect ed” agai nst what ot her s t hi nk may be bad for t hem. W e bel ieve t hey st i ll favor fr ee ent er pr ise i n i deas and expr essi on.

These effor t s at suppressi on ar e r elated t o a lar ger patt er n of pr essures bei ng br ought agai nst educat i on, t he pr ess, art and i mages, fi l ms, br oadcast medi a, and t he I nt ernet . The pr obl em i s not onl y one of act ual censor shi p. The shadow of fear cast by t hese pressur es l eads, we suspect , t o an even l ar ger vol unt ar y cur t ai l ment of expr essi on by t hose who seek t o avoi d contr over sy or unwel come scr uti ny by govern ment offi ci al s.

Such pr essur e t owar d confor mi t y i s per haps nat ur al t o a ti me of accel erat ed change. And yet suppressi on i s never mor e danger ous t han i n such a t i me of so ci al t ensi on. Fr eedom ha s gi ven t he Uni t ed St at es t he el ast i ci t y t o endur e str ain. Fr eedom keeps open the pat h of novel and cr eat i ve sol uti ons, and enabl es change t o come by choi ce. Ever y sil enci ng of a her esy, ever y enfor cement of an or t hodoxy, di mi ni shes t he t oughness and r esi li ence of our soci et y and l eaves it t he l ess abl e t o deal wi t h cont rover sy and di ffer ence.

Now as al ways i n our hist or y, readi ng i s among our gr eat est fr eedoms. T he fr eedom t o r ead and wr i t e i s al most t he onl y means f or maki ng gener al l y avai l abl e i deas or manner s of expr essi on t hat can i ni t ial l y command o nl y a smal l audi ence. The wr i tt en wor d i s t he natur al medi um for t he new i dea and t he unt r ied voi ce fr om whi ch come t he ori gi nal cont ri but i ons t o social growt h. I t i s essent ial t o t he ext ended di scussi on that seri ous thought r equir es, and t o the accumul at i on of knowl edge and i deas i nt o or gani zed col l ect i ons.

We bel i eve that fr ee communi cat i on is essenti al t o t he pr eser vat i on of a fr ee soci et y and a cr eat i ve cul t ur e. We bel i eve that t hese pr essur es t oward confor mi t y pr esent t he danger of l imi t i ng t he r ange and variet y of i nqui r y and expr essi on on whi ch our democr acy and our cult ur e depend. We bel i eve that ever y Amer i can communi t y must j eal ousl y guar d t he fr eedom t o p ubl i sh and to ci r cul ate, in or der t o preser ve i t s own fr eedom t o r ead. We bel i eve t hat publ i sher s and l ibr ar ians have a pr ofound 1 r esponsi bi lit y t o gi ve val i dit y t o t hat fr eedo m t o r ead by maki ng i t possi bl e for t he r eader s to choose fr eel y fr om a v ar i et y of off er i ngs. The fr eedom t o r ead i s guar anteed by t he Consti t uti on. Those wi t h fai t h in fr ee people wi l l st and fi r m on t hese const itut i onal guarant ees of essent i al ri ght s and wi l l exer ci se t he r esponsi bi li ti es t hat accomp any t hese ri ghts.

We t her efore affi r m t hes e pr oposit i ons:

1. I t i s i n t he publ i c i nt erest f or publi shers and l i brari ans t o make avail abl e t he wi dest diversit y of vi ews and expressions, i ncl uding t hose t hat are unort hodox, unpopul ar, or consi dered dangerous by t he maj ori t y. Cr eat i ve t hought i s by defi ni t i on new, and what i s new i s di ffer ent . The bear er of ever y new t hought i s a r ebel unt il t hat i dea is refi ned and test ed. Total it ari an syst ems at t e mpt t o mai nt ai n themsel ves i n power by t he r ut hl ess suppr essi on of any concept t hat chal lenges t he est abl i shed or t hodoxy. The power of a democr at i c syst em t o adapt t o change is vast l y st rengt hened by t he fr eedom of i t s cit i zens t o choose widel y fr om a mong confl i ct i ng opi ni ons offer ed fr eel y t o t hem. To st i fl e ever y nonconfor mi st i dea at bir t h woul d mar k t he end of t he demo cr ati c pr ocess. Fur t her mor e, onl y t hr ough t he const ant act i vi t y of wei ghi ng and sel ect i ng can t he democr ati c mi nd at t ai n t he str engt h deman ded by t i mes l i ke t hese. We need t o know not onl y what we bel ieve but why we bel i eve it .

2. Publ i shers, li brari ans, and booksell ers do not need t o endorse every i dea or present ati on t hey make avai l abl e. It woul d conf lict wi t h t he publ i c i nt erest f or t hem t o est abli sh t hei r own pol iti cal , moral , or aest het i c vi ews as a st andard f or determi ni ng what shoul d be publ i shed or ci rcul at ed.

Publ i shers and l i brar ians ser ve t he educat i onal process by helpi ng t o make avail abl e knowl edge and i deas required for t he growt h of t he mi nd and t he i ncrease of l ear ni ng. They do not fost er education by i mposi ng as ment or s t he pat t er ns of thei r own t hought . The peopl e shoul d have t he fr eedom t o r ead and consi der a br oader r ange of i deas t han t hose t hat may be hel d by any singl e li br ar i an or publ i sher or gover nment or church. I t i s wr ong that what one can r ead shoul d be confi ned t o what anot her t hi nks pr oper .

3. I t i s cont rary t o t he publi c i nt erest f or publ i shers or l i brari ans t o bar access t o writ i ngs on t he basi s of t he personal hi st ory or pol i ti cal af fi liat i ons of t he aut hor.

No ar t or li ter at ur e can fl our i sh i f i t is t o be measur ed by t he pol i ti cal vi ews or pr i vate l i ves of i t s cr eat or s. No soci et y of fr ee peopl e can fl our i sh t hat dr aws up l i sts of wr i t er s t o whom i t wi l l not li sten, what ever t hey may have t o say.

4. There i s no pl ace i n our soci et y f or ef f orts t o coerce t he t aste of ot hers, t o conf i ne adul t s t o t he readi ng matt er deemed sui t able f or adol escent s, or t o i nhibi t t he eff orts of wri t ers t o achi eve art isti c expressi on.

To so me, much of mode r n expr essi on i s shocki ng. But i s not much of l i f e i t sel f shocki ng? We cu t off l i ter at ur e at the sour ce i f we pr event wr i t ers fr om deal i ng with t he st uff of l i fe. Par ents and t eacher s have a r esponsi bi li t y t o pr epare t he young t o mee t t he di ver si ty of exper i ences i n l i fe to whi ch t hey wi l l be exposed, as t hey have a r esponsi bi li t y t o hel p t hem l ear n t o t hi nk cr i ti cal l y for themsel ves. These ar e affi r mat i ve

2 r esponsi bi li ti es, not t o be dischar ged simpl y by pr event i ng t hem fr o m r eadi ng wor ks for whi ch t hey are not yet pr epar ed. I n t hese mat t er s val ues di ffer , and val ues cannot be l egi sl ated; nor can machi ner y be devi sed t hat wi ll sui t t he demands o f on e gr oup wi t hout l i mi t i ng t he fr eedom o f ot her s. 5. I t i s not in t he publi c i nt erest t o f orce a reader t o accept t he prej udgment of a l abel charact eri zing any expressi on or i t s aut hor as subversi ve or dangerous.

The i deal of l abeli ng pr esupposes t he exi stence of i ndi vi dual s or gr oups wit h wi sdom t o det er mi ne by aut hori t y what i s good or bad for ot her s. I t pr esupposes t hat i ndi vi dual s must be dir ected i n maki ng up t heir mi nds about t he i deas t hey exami ne. But A mer i cans do not need ot her s t o do t hei r t hi nki ng for t hem.

6. I t i s t he responsi bi li ty of publ i shers and l i brari ans, as guardians of t he peopl e’ s f reedom t o read, to cont est encroachment s upon t hat freedom by i ndivi dual s or groups seeki ng t o i mpose t hei r own st andards or t ast es upon t he communi t y at l arge; and by t he government whenever it seeks t o reduce or deny publi c access t o publ i c i nf ormat i on.

I t i s i nevi t abl e i n t he gi ve and t ake of t he democr at i c pr ocess t hat t he poli ti cal , t he mor al , or t he aest het i c concept s of an i ndi vi dual or gr oup wi ll occasi onal l y col li de wi t h t hose of anot her i ndi vidual or gr oup. I n a fr ee society i ndi vi duals ar e fr ee t o det er mi ne for t hemsel ves what t hey wi sh t o r ead, and each gr oup is fr ee t o deter mi ne what i t wi ll r ecommend t o i t s fr eel y associ ated me mber s. But no gr oup has t he ri ght t o t ake t he law i nt o it s own hands, and t o i mpose i t s own concept of pol it i cs or mor al i t y upon ot her me mber s of a democr at ic soci et y. Freedom i s no fr eedom i f i t i s accor ded onl y t o t he accepted and t he i noffensi ve. Fur t her, democr at i c soci et i es are mor e safe, fr ee, and cr eat i ve when the fr ee fl ow of publ i c i nfor mat i on i s not r est ri ct ed by gover nme nt al pr er ogati ve or sel f- censor shi p.

7. I t i s t he responsi bi li ty of publ i shers and l i brari ans t o gi ve f ull meani ng t o t he f reedom t o read by provi di ng books t hat enri ch t he quali t y and di versi t y of t hought and expressi on. By t he exerci se of thi s af f i rmati ve responsi bil it y, t hey can demonst rat e t hat t he answer t o a “bad” book i s a good one, t he answer t o a “bad” i dea is a good one.

The fr eedom t o r ead i s of l i t tl e consequence when t he reader cannot obtai n mat t er fit for t hat r eader ’ s pur pose. Wh at i s needed i s not only the absence of r est r ai nt , but t he posi tive pr ovi si on of oppor t uni t y for t he people t o r ead t he best t hat has been t hought and sai d. Books ar e t he maj or channel by which t he i nt ell ectual i nher it ance i s handed down, and t he pr i nci pal means o f i t s t esti ng and gr owt h. The defense of t he fr eedom t o r ead requi res of al l publ i sher s and l ibr ar ians t he ut most of t h ei r facult i es, and deser ves of al l Ame r i cans t he ful l est of t heir suppor t .

We st at e t hese pr oposit ions nei t her li ght l y nor as easy gener al i zat i ons. We her e st ake out a l oft y clai m for t he val ue of t he wr it t en wor d. We d o so because we bel i eve that it i s possessed of enor mous var i ety and useful ness, wor t hy of cher i shi ng and keepi ng fr ee. We r eal ize t hat t he appl i cat i on of these pr oposit i ons may mean t he di ssemi nat i on of i deas and manne r s of expr essi on t hat ar e repugnant t o many per so ns. We do not st at e t hese pr oposi t i ons i n t he comfor t abl e bel i ef t hat what people read i s uni mp or t ant . We b el i eve r at her t hat what people read i s deeply i mpor t ant ; t hat

3 i deas can be dangerous; but that t he suppr essi on of i deas i s fat al t o a democr at i c soci et y. Fr eedom i t sel f i s a danger ous way of l i fe, but i t is our s.

Thi s st at ement was or i ginal l y i ssued i n M ay of 1953 by t he West chest er Confer ence of t he A mer i can Li br ar y Associ ati on and t he Amer i can Book Publ i sher s Counci l , whi ch in 1970 consol i dat ed wi th t he A mer i can Educat i onal Publ i sher s I nst i t ut e t o beco me t he Associ ati on of A mer i can Publ i sher s

Adopt ed June 25, 1953; revi sed Januar y 28, 1972, Januar y 16, 1991, Jul y 12, 2000, June 30, 2004, by t he ALA Counc i l and t he AAP Fr eedo m t o Read Commi t t ee

A Joi nt St at ement by: A mer i can Libr ar y Associat i on and Associ ati on of A mer i can Publ i shers

Subsequently endorsed by: A mer i can Booksel ler s Foundat i on for Fr ee Expressi on; The Associ at i on of Amer i can Uni versi t y Pr esses, I nc; The Chi l dr en’ s Book Counci l Fr eedom t o Read Foundat i on; Nat i onal Associ at i on of Col l ege St ores; Nat i onal Coal it i on Against Censor shi p; Nat i onal Counci l of Teacher s of Engl i sh; and The Tho mas Jeffer son Cent er for t he Pr ot ect i on of Fr ee Expr essi on

Reviewed and readopted by the Placer County Library Advisory Board on May 19, 2021 Reviewed and readopted by the Placer County Library Advisory Board on July 20, 2011 Adopted by the Placer County Library Advisory Board on May 19, 1999

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