Intellectual Freedom refers to the right of all people to believe what they want to believe, and to express those beliefs in any format they feel appropriate. Unrestricted access to ideas or beliefs is an integral part of the concept of intellectual freedom; freedom of expression has meaning only when others have access to the ideas expressed.
The ALA Office For Intellectual Freedom states in its Intellectual Freedom Manual that librarians have the responsibility to provide all points of view on issues and to make them available to all through their institutions. The freedom of expression and the freedom to read are "uniquely" found in the function of the library.
A censor is a person (or group), official or unofficial, who examines written material, art, video, or audio works for parts which are objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds and attempts to superimpose his own standards of morality an others.
Those who censor would force their point of view on others, many times in the notion of sustaining freedom or preventing moral decay. A censor often assumes that his viewpoint is the only valid one and must prevail; he assumes that he can determine what is right or wrong for the common good better that his fellow citizens. Librarians do not need the "protection" of the censor. The right of the individual to free speech, free press, and free expression is protected by the united States Constitution in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
George Mason, father of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (model for the U.S. Bill of Rights) wrote, "The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments."
James Madison said, "A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or tragedy, or perhaps both." Librarians do not advocate or endorse every idea in every book made available through the library. Their collections reflect diversity and present alternative points of view in order to provide full access to information.
Librarians are often the first defense against the censor. We must be prepared in advance of a challenge with documented selection policies and procedures for handling complaints. This manual has been designed as a practical document to use when face with challenges to First Amendment rights. It contains guidelines to enable you to prepare ahead to deal with censorship issues, as well as a list of national and state organizations, which may provide assistance in the event of a censorship challenge. Excellent in-depth information about the philosophical basis of intellectual freedom and First-Amendment rights, with particular relevance to libraries, is available in the Intellectual Freedom Manual from ALA.
If you experience a challenge to any materials and believe you need help, please contact the Intellectual Freedom Committee in care of VLA, 669 South Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314, or telephone 703-519-7853. You will be put in touch with members of the committee as soon as possible. For your convenience, you may use the Librarian's Report and Request for Assistance form.
The Virginia Library Association and its Intellectual Freedom Committee would like to thank Elliot Goldstein of SIRS, Inc., and his assistant, Lisa Noon, for their interest in issues of intellectual freedom all over the United States, and for printing this manual for VLA.