Free Speech Lives at Your Public Library

Oscar Wilde once wrote that there are no good or bad books; "books are either tedious or charming." In an age where book banning and censorship occur with shocking regularity, it is not only nice to know—it’s essential to know that libraries provide access to controversial materials. In fact, they do not simply shelve such items, they even celebrate them every year for a week in September at a nationwide event known as Banned Books Week. Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn to J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books have been challenged at one time or another making them surprising banned books, but libraries take a stand to keep these books on their shelves encouraging readers to decide for themselves what they will or will not read.

While many people know they have access to these materials by law at their public library, they may not know to what extent they have a right to read freely; that is, to read without any entity entitled to know what they are reading without a warrant for the information. Library patrons are entitled to privacy so that every material they check out remains confidential. This right is even extended to minors who often seek out information in their own right.

Although libraries are restricted by budgets from purchasing everything under the sun, they are required to purchase materials that represent different viewpoints as well as to provide materials in a wide array of subject matter. Core and supplemental standards help librarians to maintain relevant and up-to-date collections for the good of the whole community—not simply one segment of it.

For more information about libraries and free speech, privacy or banned books, visit the American Library Association’s website or visit your local library and chat with an attending librarian.