Navigation Menu Authorship & Copyright Fair Use Intellectual Freedom Censorship Quiz

Intellectual Freedom Most Americans would agree to a certain extent that citizens have the right to read, think, and say whatever they want. Yet in many countries, and even in America, these basic freedoms are not granted equally to all people. The right to read is often limited by oppressive governments which forbid certain types of material from being published, or which ban specific publications from sale. In the United States the government does not usually ban publications directly, but it does at times assert pressure on organizations and individuals who wish to publish material it deems inappropriate. The Communications Decency Act that passed Congress in 1995 attempted to forbid certain types of speech on the Internet. The Supreme Court disagreed with Congress and declared parts of the Communications Decency Act unconstitutional. Those who champion the cause of intellectual freedom believe that all people have the right to read and think about ideas without the threat of being censured. They believe that intellectual freedom is the necessary ingredient that makes democracy possible. If citizens are restricted in their ability to think and read new or challenging ideas, or if they are restricted in publishing or speaking their thoughts, then they are no longer free individuals.  The above comments might not sound all that radical to many Americans. In theory most of us would agree with the above sentiments. After all we have the first and fourth amendments to the Constitution which guarantee protection of these rights: 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 to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. The ideas contained in the first and fourth amendments are at the foundation of our constitutional democracy. However, the concepts and ideas in these two amendments have been the cause of much controversy throughout our history. People continue to debate these ideas today. For example, the role of government in religious matters is currently a hot topic. There is much disagreement amongst citizens regarding the appropriateness of public school sponsored prayer. People on both sides of the issue are quite passionate. Both sides tend to frame the debate as a free speech issue but disagree on how to solve the problem. Libraries and Intellectual Freedom Historically, libraries have viewed themselves as centers of democratic values. Both public and academic libraries have considered educational support a major part of their mission. As publicly funded centers of education, libraries take seriously their role in providing access to information and educating citizens. The ideal library will provide its patrons with access to the widest possible set of ideas. The American Library Association has developed statements which define the responsibilities of libraries regarding intellectual freedom and the right to read. Please take a few minutes to look through these statements. The Library Bill of Rights The Freedom to Read Statement From these statements you see that librarianship is a profession committed to open and free access to information and knowledge of all types. As publicly funded institutions libraries should reflect both the professional standards and values of librarians and the values of the community in which they reside. In an ideal world, librarians' professional standards and values would be in agreement with citizens' beliefs and government laws concerning intellectual freedom and censorship. However, in the real world people disagree. Government laws can be used to forbid the publication of certain ideas, or ban materials from library shelves. Citizens often challenge the appropriateness of materials for inclusion in library collections. Sometimes even librarians engage in censorship and may keep material from entering the library that they consider personally unacceptable. These are all examples of censorship in that they restrict access to information and ideas. The person or group censoring the material usually feels that they are doing good in keeping "harmful" material from being disseminated to the public. However, others may disagree and feel that their rights are being violated. Press the "Continue" button below to explore more on this topic.