Right to Read

“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 These actions apparently rise from a view that our national tradition of free expression is no longer valid; that censorship and suppression are needed to counter threats to safety or national security, as well as to avoid the subversion of politics and the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.”

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At the library, we fully support the ALA’s Right to Read statement and believe in the importance of providing access to a wide range of ideas and viewpoints. We stand against censorship and are committed to ensuring that all students have the freedom to explore, learn, and make their own informed decisions about what they read. Everyone should have the right to access information without fear of judgment or restriction. To read the full statement, click the link below.

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“The Freedom to Read Statement”, American Library Association, July 26, 2006

https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement