75th anniversary of the Library Bill of Rights
ALA News: 6.17.2014
Seventy-five years ago at the 1939 ALA Annual Conference in
San Francisco, the ALA Council adopted the Library’s Bill of Rights, echoing
the spirit of a document from the Des Moines Public Library in 1938. This document,
refreshed in 1944, 1948, 1961, 1967, 1980 and 1996, remains the library
profession’s major policy document on intellectual freedom.
All those revisions prove that the Library Bill of Rights is truly a
“living document.” In fact, LBOR now has 21 Interpretations. ALA has recognized that it is a document of
ideals, but also of practice—which is why interpretations have been crafted to
deal with such specific issues as Privacy, Children and Services to the Disabled.
ALA President Barbara Stripling is “pleased to celebrate
the 75th anniversary of the Library Bill of Rights and to recognize the
enduring impact of libraries on the democratic vitality of our nation. LBOR serves as a foundational documents for libraries
of all types, affirming the right of all members of our communities to have
equitable and uncensored access to information and ideas.”
Stripling’s presidential year has included the Declaration for the Right to Libraries, which affirms the
principles in LBOR which “empower individuals, strengthen families, build
communities, and strengthen our nation.”
All these documents can be found in the Intellectual
Freedom Manual, which will soon have its ninth edition!
The Intellectual Freedom Committee, the Committee on
Professional Ethics and the Intellectual Freedom Round Table urge libraries to
celebrate. The Office for Intellectual Freedom can provide ideas for
you. Stay tuned for further activities
at the Las
Vegas Annual Conference!
