Censorship & Challenges
DLA Statement on Censorship:
The Delaware Library Association supports and strongly defends the rights of all people to read, seek information, and speak freely. Intellectual freedom, the concept that people may receive, disseminate, and hold ideas without restriction or interference, is a core value of the library profession and a basic right in our democratic society.
Intellectual freedom safeguards the right to access, explore, consider, express ideas, and share information. It is the bedrock for freedoms of expression, speech, the press, access to information, and the right to privacy. It encompasses a wide range of areas including academic freedom, internet filtering, and censorship. These rights are guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
A foundational value of the Delaware Library Association is a person’s right to access information and to develop thoughts and opinions without restriction to access, barriers to privacy, and repercussions. The Delaware Library Association opposes censorship of materials and advocates for free access to materials for every person.
- According to the American Library Association, censorship is defined as “the suppression of ideas and information that some individuals, groups, or government officials find objectionable or dangerous. Would-be censors try to use the power of the state to impose their view of what is truthful and appropriate, or offensive and objectionable, on everyone else. Censors pressure public institutions, like libraries, to suppress and remove information they judge inappropriate or dangerous from public access, so that no one else has the chance to read or view the material and make up their own minds about it. The censor wants to prejudge materials for everyone.” (CITATION) – ALA First Amendment and Censorship
- Clause of the First Amendment – National Constitution Center
- Library Bill of Rights – ALA
- The Freedom to Read Statement – ALA
- House Bill 119 – 153rd General Assembly (Present) – THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LIBRARIES.
- Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A
- Social Media Guidelines for Public and Academic Libraries
- Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024
Questions? Contact DLA or Intellectual Freedom Chair, Elizabeth Mayer at dla@lib.de.us.
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