Intellectual Freedom

The Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) of the American Library Association (ALA)

Mission
To recommend such steps as may be necessary to safeguard the rights of library users, libraries, and librarians, in accordance with the first amendment to the United States Constitution and the Library Bill of Rights as adopted by the ALA Council. To work closely with the Office for Intellectual Freedom and with other units and officers of the association in matters touching intellectual freedom and censorship.

The Freedom to Read Foundation was established in 1969 as a First Amendment legal defense organization affiliated with the American Library Association.  FTRF is a separate corporation from the American Library Association, working in close liaison with the ALA. The secretariat is located in the Office for Intellectual Freedom, ALA Headquarters.

Established December 1, 1967, the Office for Intellectual Freedom is charged with implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association’s basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials.

American Library Association Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.