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SHARON PUBLIC
LIBRARY
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Purpose
The purpose of the Collection Development Policy of the Sharon Public Library
is to provide guidelines for acquisition and withdrawal decisions, allocation
of resources and long-range collection development in accordance with the library’s
mission.
Library Mission Statement
The mission of the Sharon Public Library is to serve the informational, educational
and recreational needs of all members of the Sharon community through acquiring
and maintaining quality materials, programs and services within comfortable
facilities offering convenient hours and provided in a manner commensurate with
responsible fiscal planning. Emphasis should be placed on information which
is of immediate relevance and interest to the community. The Library’s
mission extends to providing access to the universe of information beyond the
Library’s own collections through interlibrary cooperation and efficient
use of technology.
Role of the Public Library
Public libraries play a unique role in the preservation of democracy by providing
an open, non-judgmental institution where individuals can pursue their interests
and gain an understanding of diverse opinions. Libraries must continue to play
an essential role in safeguarding the intellectual liberty of the public and
they must recognize, understand and support freedom of access.
Intellectual Freedom and Access
The Board of Library Trustees, the Library Director, and the library staff recognize
the responsibility of the Sharon Public Library to provide materials representing
diverse points of view on different topics. Selection is made solely on the
merits of the work in relation to collection development and in relation to
the needs of library patrons. The presence of an item in the Library’s
collection does not indicate an endorsement of the item’s content.
Selection cannot be restricted by the possibility that certain materials might
be considered objectionable by some users on moral, religious, political, or
other grounds. Well-intentioned individuals or groups may occasionally question
the inclusion of an item in the collection because of fear or doubt about the
effects of the material on impressionable persons. Although the staff and trustees
understand this concern, it is our position that the risk to society is far
greater if public access to ideas and information is restricted. Neither an
individual, nor group, nor library staff has a right to decide what others may
or may not read.
All materials are shelved on open shelves, freely and easily accessible to the
public. There will be no labeling of any item to indicate its point of view
or bias. The library assures free access to its holdings for all patrons, who
can select or reject for themselves any item in the collection.
Children are not limited to the children’s collections, which are kept
separate from other library collections to facilitate use. Responsibility for
a child’s reading, listening, or viewing of library materials must rest
with the parent or guardian, not with the library staff.
The staff and
Board of Trustees of the Sharon Public Library believe that the right to read
is an important part of the intellectual freedom that is basic to democracy.
The library has adopted the American Library Association’s Library Bill
of Rights and Freedom to Read/View statements as official library policy (see
appendix).
Resource Sharing
The Library is a charter member of the Old Colony Library Network, an automated
resource-sharing network of 27 South Shore libraries, 25 public and 2 academic
libraries. Computer terminals provide bibliographic access to the collections
of the network libraries and a daily delivery system ensures fast availability.
For those patrons with needs outside the scope of the Sharon Public Library’s
collection or the collections of network libraries, the Library is able to provide
interlibrary loan service through cooperative agreements with the state library
system.
Responsibility for Collection Development
The Library Director has responsibility for collection development, operating
in accordance with policies set by the Board of Library Trustees. Selection
of materials is made by the Library Director as well as professional library
staff, who are qualified by reason of education, training and experience. Other
staff members and the general public are encouraged to recommend materials for
consideration.
Definition of Materials Selection
“Selection” refers to the decision that must be made either to add
materials or to retain materials already in the collection. Also, selection
can refer to items to be removed from the collection.
Goals of Materials Selection
Selection
Criteria
Selection is based on recommendations in authoritative reviewing media
and on requests from the public. The major considerations in selecting materials
are the informational, recreational, and educational needs of the Sharon Public
Library community. While budgetary and space limitations make it impossible
for a medium-sized library to build a comprehensive collection in all subject
and interest areas, the Library does endeavor to offer a collection which is
diversified, well-developed and as balanced as possible. Inclusion of an item
in the collection does not indicate Library endorsement of its content.
The following criteria provide the general framework within which selection
takes place:
Selection
Tools
Selection tools include, but are not limited to:
Scope
of the Collection
Sharon Public Library considers all types and formats of media in the
realm of human expression and part of the human record. Materials will not be
rejected for acquisition solely on the basis of medium. The Library will attempt
to provide materials in non-book format when it is felt that they fulfill the
collection's role and mission to augment individual experience.
The popular adult collection highlights genres and topics for which local interest
and need is known to exist.
In the development of its collection, the Library recognizes that it is impossible
for a medium-sized public library to provide a balanced comprehensive collection
that is strong enough to meet all community needs. As a member of an automated
resource sharing network and the state supported regional library system, Sharon
Public Library supplements its resources with materials borrowed from other
libraries through these larger entities.
Formats
Because the Sharon Public Library functions in a rapidly changing society, it
keeps a flexible attitude towards changes in communicative material, in relation
to both new forms and new styles of expression. It must, for example, be responsive
to the increased output and improved quality of such forms as audio/video formats,
electronic formats, and other new/emerging technologies/formats. Materials in
these forms are selected when they are suitable in content and effective in
treatment; they are judged in terms of the “Criteria for Selection.”
Collection Development for Adult Materials
Fiction
Every attempt is made to provide a wide selection of the various types
of fiction, and to include the best works of the past and present. Each work
is judged on individual merit and the needs of the collection as a whole.
The number of copies purchased is determined primarily by anticipated demand
or by the number of patron reserves requested on the title.
Nonfiction
Selection often involves striking a balance between demand for current
highly requested titles and the need to maintain and develop a collection of
standard works of lasting value. Occasionally a work may be added despite an
unfavorable review or in a format not generally chosen (i.e. textbook) if it
fills a gap in the collection where a better work is unavailable or if the Library
has received patron requests. Works are selected to provide a range of viewpoints
on issues, recognizing the individual’s right to read controversial opinions.
The Library cannot normally support, except through interlibrary loan, the professional
needs of individuals whose interests require highly technical or very specialized
information. In addition, the Library cannot take the place of an academic facility
as a source for a wide range of highly academic materials.
Paperbacks
Mass market paperbacks are generally purchased only when it is the
only available format for an item or when budgetary constraints warrant a less
expensive acquisition. The Library maintains a “paperback book exchange”
where patrons “take one/leave one.” This collection falls outside
of collection development and is maintained only in that staff keep the shelves
clean and tidy and filled with books. Both children’s and young adult
paperback collections fall under the selection criteria for those respective
collections. Trade paperback titles are, for purposes of collection development,
not considered separately from other formats.
Large Print
The Library selects books printed in large type format to provide a
range of materials designed to meet the special needs of patrons with vision
difficulties. Because of budgetary and time constraints, the Library has a standing
order arrangement with designated publishers to provide a selection of titles
of contemporary best sellers, both fiction and non-fiction. The Library supplements
this core collection by ordering individual titles of note, including popular
new items and reprints of classics. Large print materials are also acquired
for the children’s collections.
Periodicals & Newspapers
The Library provides periodicals in a wide range of subjects of reference
value and recreational interest.
Periodicals are selected according to the following criteria:
Periodicals
are kept as long as space allows and their continued use requires.
The Library maintains current files of major newspapers – local, regional
and national interest. Sharon newspapers are retained on microform.
A small periodicals collection is maintained in the Children’s Library.
Primary areas of interest include literature, natural science, science, history,
arts, and parenting.
Reference
Reference materials are those designed by the arrangement and treatment
of their subject matter to be consulted for definite items of information rather
than to be read consecutively. They can provide quick, concise, and current
information or they may serve as an index to other materials in the collection.
Since they are typically used daily by the public and library staff to answer
specific questions, they are designated for use within the Library. In selecting
for the reference collections, the primary concern is the information needs
of the Library’s clientele. Reference materials may be located in the
Adult Reference or Children’s Reference sections.
In addition to the general selection criteria mentioned above, the following
criteria are considered in acquiring materials for the reference collections:
Duplicate
copies of reference materials may be purchased for the circulating collection
if the price is not prohibitive.
Local History
The Library makes an effort to collect and maintain materials having
to do with the history of Sharon. The Elizabeth Farrar History Room is the area
of the Llibrary where most of the local history collection is housed.
The collection is meant to be used by beginning and experienced scholars alike,
as well as persons using the collection for informational, leisure or recreational
purposes.
There are materials in this collection whose age, character or rarity makes
special handling or separate security measures necessary. In order to balance
the dual goals of preserving historical material while providing maximum access
to the information contained, the Library provides access through means best
suited to meet both goals.
These include providing copies of rare materials in photocopied or microfilmed
format for general use whenever possible and supervision when original works
are in use.
At least one copy of every title is kept permanently for reference and research
in the History Room. Duplicate or photocopied materials are provided whenever
possible in the circulating collection, and reference copies are made available
in the Reference Room.
Books of Local Relevance
An attempt is made to acquire all published works on Sharon. In addition,
books on Norfolk County and Massachusetts resources and history are acquired
according to their relevance to the Sharon area. Town histories and genealogical
research materials are selectively acquired. At least one copy is housed in
the History Room and does not circulate.
Because Sharon was the home of Revolutionary War soldier, Deborah Sampson Gannett,
the library makes an effort to acquire all books on this subject, including
children’s materials.
Multiple copies are acquired according to availability, demand and value. Duplicate
copies are housed in reference and/or circulating nonfiction if appropriate.
Some rare and valuable books which are not a part of the local history collection
may also be housed in the History Room. These may also include works by local
residents.
Collection Development for Children
The principles which guide the selection of materials for children
are fundamentally the same as those for adult materials. The collection is carefully
chosen for children of all ages and abilities with emphasis on materials which
entertain, stimulate the imagination, develop reading ability, and enable children
to learn about the world around them.
In choosing materials for this group, the selector uses age appropriateness
as a determining selection principle. Materials are evaluated for reading level,
interest level, and treatment of the subject for the age of the intended audience.
Materials are chosen to assure a well-rounded representation of all points of
view as with adult books.
The selectors do not assume that all children and young adult materials will
be suitable for every individual. Responsibility for overseeing a child’s
reading choices rests with parents.
The collection does contain materials of use in completing school assignments.
These materials are purchased to complement, not take the place of, school resources.
Textbooks are not purchased unless they contain better subject coverage than
other books. Some duplication of materials is found between the adult, young
adult, and children’s collections when appropriate.
Since the preschooler’s door to learning is vital to the Library’s
mission, priority is placed on maintaining a collection that contains a wide
variety of picture books. Items that are well reviewed as well as those requested
by patron demand and interest are purchased as budget allows. Board books are
purchased to encourage interaction with the youngest users. Beginning readers
comprise an area of high demand. Selection includes both fiction and non-fiction
titles. Since a large quantity of this genre is produced strictly for monetary
gain and not for literary or educational merit, selection is based on reputation
of the author and publishing house in addition to positive reviews.
Children’s Non-Fiction
The children’s non-fiction collection is broad based with emphasis
on multiculturalism, science, biographies, and the creative arts. Regular units
of study in the school curriculum also influence selection.
Children’s Fiction
The fiction collection includes popular authors and well reviewed titles
with particular emphasis on titles of fantasy, mystery, and adventure, sports,
science fiction, and historical fiction.
Children’s Paperbacks
The paperback collection provides a format for second copies of popular
hard covers as well as books that are no longer available in hardcover. Series
books in this format are purchased based on patron request.
Children’s Resource Collection
The Children’s Resource Collection contains books and videos
on topics that are of interest to both parents and teachers. Consideration will
be given to purchasing titles that are in the adult collection if demand merits
an additional copy. Books on sensitive issues which are written for children
shall be shelved in the general collection and not in this area.
Collection Development for Young Adults
Young adult materials serve as a bridge to the adult collection and
are aimed at addressing the needs and concerns of young adult patrons. Needs
of young adults differ in kind and intensity from those of adult users. They
often look to the Library for materials and resources to meet academic demands.
Materials are selected using the same general criteria used in selection of
the adult collection but with the focus on the experience, maturity, and interests
of young people.
In general, young adult service is geared to grades 7-12, overlapping somewhat
with children’s services at one end of the range and those for adults
at the other.
Young Adult Fiction
The themes in young adult fiction generally center on the struggle
to develop an identity and set of values and to find a place in the larger community.
The young adult fiction collection consists of material written for and/or appealing
to this particular age group regardless of genre. Every effort is made to provide
teenagers with fiction that deals with their concerns in open, honest ways,
and which meets their recreational and academic reading needs. Paperback format
is selected where possible since this is the preferred format for this age group.
Young Adult Non-Fiction
Teenagers read non-fiction to gain information on topics of concern
to them such as personal appearance, sex education, crisis and coping, school
assignments, etc. Young adult non-fiction is selected in all subject areas represented
in the adult non-fiction collection. As there are many potential users for this
material, young adult non-fiction is chosen with all library users in mind and,
in part due to space constraints, shelved along side adult non-fiction titles
rather than separated out. Titles are chosen for their timeliness and appeal.
The staff makes every effort to purchase factual books which are clearly written
and attractive in format.
The general reference, audio-visual, and periodical collections include materials
for young adults. The resources of the entire library are available to users
in this age group.
Collection Development for Audio/Video Materials
Audio Books
The Library purchases abridged and unabridged versions of both fiction
and nonfiction titles with an emphasis on unabridged versions. An attempt is
made to provide titles in the two most popular formats, CD and cassette. Availability
and budgetary constraints often dictate one format over another. Selection is
made on the basis of favorable reviews. Technical quality is also an important
criterion.
Language Tapes
The Library purchases foreign language instructional tapes in most
languages. Emphasis is on beginning languages, but an effort is made to purchase
tapes for advanced studies in the most commonly used languages
Compact Discs
The Library attempts to provide a representative selection of the most
significant and broadly-known music in each of the following genres: classical,
jazz, blues, popular, rock, folk/ethnic, new age, soundtrack/film scores and
musical theater. Selection is based on artistic and technical quality, inclusion
in standard discographies, favorable reviews, and recommendations by library
users.
Juvenile Audio Cassettes/Compact Discs
The children’s room audio/CD collection consists of music, storytelling,
and poetry. The collection includes book/cassette kits as well as books on tape/CD.
Every effort is made to ensure the collection includes a print copy to complement
the audiobook format. Selection criteria in this area follows that of adult
criteria.
Microforms (microfiche and microfilm)
Currently the library collects two newspapers in microfilm.
Microforms are added to the collection for one or more of the following reasons:
The following factors should be considered when deciding whether print or microform will be the favored medium:
Video
Formats
The Sharon Public Library maintains a video (VHS and DVD) collection
that complements rather than competes with local video rental stores. Videos
are considered for collection inclusion based on favorable reviews, prior viewing,
patron demand and the reputation of the makers and distributors.
Video programs are evaluated as a whole and not on the basis of particular scenes
or segments. A work will not be excluded from the collection just because it
presents an aspect of life honestly or because it exhibits frankness of expression.
An item need not meet all of the selection criteria to be acceptable. In some
instances, materials may be judged primarily on artistic merit, or because of
scholarship, or as valuable historic records, or as critical to the information
needs of the community. In some instances, criteria may be substantial demand.
Non-Fiction Videos
Nonfiction videos are purchased when the format provides a useful way
of providing information to library patrons. All general subjects will be acquired.
Documentaries, plays and dramatizations of classic literature, local and regional
topics, how-to, travel, concerts, operas, and ballets are considered important
to the collection.
Feature Films Classics
Motion pictures considered classics by film critics will be added to
the collection as the budget allows. The collection will include important works
by acclaimed producers, directors, actors and actresses.
American Feature Films
Features will be purchased to satisfy the public’s demand for
recreational materials, and to serve differing tastes and interests. Owing to
the relatively high cost of some video materials and a limited library budget,
it is impossible for the Library to adequately satisfy public demand for high-interest
feature films. Higher consideration will be given to films that are favorably
reviewed and to features that have won a major award.
Foreign Films
The Library will endeavor to collect foreign films that have won a
major award in their country or ours and have received critical acclaim.
Children’s Videos
Children’s videos are selected if they are literature-based and
extend the reading experience, if they are informational and/or educational,
or if they fulfill patron requests or interests. Videos that are designed specifically
to sell a product are not purchased.
Children’s CD-ROMs
CD-ROMs for the children’s circulating collection will be purchased
to reflect broad areas of the collection. Criteria for selection will include
materials which are informational, educational, or creative in nature and which
have received good to superior ratings in selection tools. Technical requirements
of the platforms using the material will also be a consideration.
Rental Collection
The Sharon Public Library maintains a small collection of popular/high
demand titles available on a first-come/first-serve basis for a nominal rental
fee. The collection is funded by and the proceeds benefit the Friends of the
Sharon Public Library. The collection is maintained by library staff. Titles
are chosen, both fiction and non-fiction, based on popularity and anticipated
high patron demand. Every title purchased for the rental collection must also
have been acquired for the circulating collection ensuring that library patrons
have access to the same title without being assessed a rental fee. Once the
popularity/demand for a rental title eases, the title is removed and placed
into the Friends book sale.
Russian Language Materials
The Town of Sharon has a growing population of Russian-speaking residents.
As a result, the Library has responded to this community’s need for materials
in their native language. With particular attention focused on print materials,
the Library is making a concerted effort to acquire the works of recent popular
Russian language authors; popular titles translated into Russian are also acquired.
Due to budgetary and time constraints, the Library has a standing order arrangement
with designated publishers to provide a selection of titles that include contemporary
bestsellers, both fiction and non-fiction. The Library should make an effort
to acquire Russian language materials in other formats, including video, audiobooks,
and periodicals. Russian language materials are also acquired, albeit on a smaller
scale, for the children’s collections.
Web Links
The Sharon Public Library web site has been created to advance the
Library’s mission as an information center supporting the educational
and recreational needs of its users and to provide access to materials beyond
the local collection. The web site provides guidance for patrons exploring Internet
resources and assists Internet users seeking information about Library programs
and services.
Responsibility for Web Link Collection Development
Library staff evaluates and selects links to other web sites that have
proven useful in answering patron questions or have been reviewed by reputable
individuals. Patrons are encouraged to suggest links for inclusion on the web
site. However, because the site is not intended as either a full or partial
public forum, addition of a link is the responsibility of Library staff.
General Web Link Selection Guidelines
The major considerations for selecting materials are the informational,
recreational, and educational needs of the Sharon Public Library community.
Sites are selected to enrich, broaden and complement material in the Library’s
collection. Because standard collection evaluation tools are not yet available
for Internet resources, selectors will review the links and use evaluation review
sources in print publications and online sources. Link selection is based on
relevancy, quality, currency, and navigability. While the Library cannot control
the accuracy or availability of the information accessed through the Internet,
selectors attempt to select sites noted for reliability, authority and accessibility.
Specific Selection Guidelines
The following criteria provide specific selection guidelines for Internet
resources:
Design
Access
Authority
Currency
Scope
De-selection
Selected links may be removed from the Library’s website if they
change and no longer meet the above criteria.
Withdrawal of Materials
The systematic removal of materials no longer useful is an essential
part of maintaining an effective library collection. A withdrawal policy insures
that the collection remains vital and useful by: discarding and/or replacing
items in poor physical condition; eliminating items with obsolete, misleading
or superseded information; and reducing the number of copies of titles whose
relevance to the community has lessened.
The Library’s professional staff will evaluate the materials collection
for repair, replacement, and/or discard on an ongoing basis, using the CREW
method of evaluation developed by Joseph P. Segal. This process (Continuous
Review, Evaluation and Weeding) uses the following criteria to evaluate a title’s
current usefulness to the collection: Is content misleading or factually inaccurate?
Is item worn out and beyond mending or rebinding? Has item been superseded by
a new edition or a better book on the subject? Is this item trivial or of no
lasting literary or scientific merit? Is the material irrelevant to the needs
and interests of our community? Date of publication, last date circulated, and
average number of circulations per year are some of the useful indicators of
the above criteria. For a description of CREW guidelines by Dewey classification,
see appendix.
Materials withdrawn from the Sharon Public Library will be disposed of in a
manner consistent with their quality and condition. Disposition includes but
is not limited to: Friends of the Sharon Public Library book sale, offered to
another library or institution, or discarded/recycled. Materials removed because
of dated content or poor condition will be discarded/recycled.
Gifts Policy
The Library accepts gifts of materials, but reserves the right to evaluate
them in accordance with the criteria applied to purchased materials. The Library
may choose not to accept gifts which do not meet the Library’s objectives
and policies.
A receipt providing a description of the material and the date of donation will
be provided upon request. However, the Library will not provide monetary appraisal
of any gift for income tax or other purposes.
The Library retains unconditional ownership of the gift and makes the final
decision on the use or disposition of the gift. The Library reserves the right
to decide the conditions of display, housing, and access of gift materials.
Items with restrictions necessitating special handling or preventing integration
of the gift into the general collection will not normally be accepted.
Review of Policy
In order to maintain a dynamic selection program which reflects current
community needs, this policy should be reviewed whenever necessary by the Sharon
Public Library Board of Trustees. Revisions should be developed by the staff
and presented to the Board for its acceptance. This evaluation will be performed
at least once every five years.
Policy Adopted, Sharon Public Library Board of Trustees, 21 January 2004
APPENDICES
CREW Method of Collection Evaluation (Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding)
The CREW method, explained by Joseph P. Segal in Evaluation and Weeding Collections
in Small and Medium-sized Public Libraries: The CREW Method (Chicago: American
Library Association, 1980), involves judging materials using the following criteria:
Misleading, factually inaccurate
Ugly, worn out, past repair
Superseded by a new edition or other material
Trivial, having no lasting merit
Your library collection has no use for this book-some other library may be able
to use it.
Worn out
Out of date
Rarely used
System (interlibrary loan) can supply
Trivial or faddish
An example of a formula is: 10/3/MUSTY. The 10 indicates that the item’s
copyright is 10 years or older. The 3 means that it has been 3 years since the
last recorded circulation of the item.
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.
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
abridgment 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.
Adopted June 18, 1948. Amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980,
inclusion of “age” reaffirmed January 23, 1996, by the ALA Council.
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 avoid the
subversion of politics and the corruption of morals. We, as citizens 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 citizen, by exercising 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 misinformation, and to make their
own decisions about what they read and believe. 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.
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.
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 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
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 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.
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 with any expression
the prejudgment of a label characterizing it 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 the citizen. 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.
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.
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 citizens the
fullest of their support.
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; revised January 28, 1972, January 16, 1991, July 12,
2000, by the ALA Council and the AAP Freedom to Read Committee.
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 guarantees 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 by the ALA Council January 10, 1990