"Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas without restriction."
The principles of free access to information and opposing censorship. Libraries play an important role in providing access to diverse viewpoints and protecting the right to read and explore ideas.
Intellectual Freedom: A broad concept that refers to the individual right to seek and receive information, ideas, or expression, without interference or censorship.
Censorship: The suppression, removal, or restriction of any materials or ideas that are considered offensive, harmful, or objectionable by the government or other controlling bodies, including libraries and educational institutions.
Freedom of Expression: The right to express, share, and communicate one's opinions, thoughts or ideas, without any fear of censorship or retaliation.
First Amendment Rights: The right of the people to freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, and petition, as established by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Library Bill of Rights: A policy statement adopted by the American Library Association (ALA), which affirms the right of all individuals to access information and ideas without censorship, and the responsibility of libraries to provide access to diverse viewpoints.
Intellectual Freedom and Library Services: The mission of the library profession to promote and defend intellectual freedom, including the right of all people to access information and ideas, regardless of content or language.
Challenges to Intellectual Freedom: Attempts to restrict or remove materials from libraries, including court cases, special-interest groups, and political pressures.
Banned Books: Books that have been removed from libraries or schools due to political or personal objections, including classic works of literature, science fiction/fantasy, and contemporary works.
The Role of Libraries in Intellectual Freedom: The library profession's responsibility to promote access to information and ideas, and to provide resources and services that support intellectual freedom and democratic values.
Ethics of Intellectual Freedom: The ethical considerations involved in censorship, including the balance between individual rights and community standards, and the role of librarians as social and cultural advocates.
Intellectual freedom: This refers to the right to read, access, or express opinions and ideas without being censored or restricted.
Self-censorship: This is when an individual or organization limits their own access to certain materials or subjects. In libraries, librarians may decide not to purchase books or other materials due to personal or institutional reasons.
Selection censorship: This is also known as collection censorship, and it refers to when libraries intentionally or unintentionally exclude certain materials or topics from their collections. It may result from budget limitations or ideological pressure.
Access censorship: This type of censorship occurs when materials are removed or restricted from access by library users or the public in general. It could include restricting access to certain websites or filtering certain types of information.
Content censorship: This happens when specific content or language within an available material is censored or restricted. It may involve removing a section of a book or editing a film to remove certain scenes or language.
Labeling & rating: This involves labeling or rating materials based on their content or subject matter, which can serve as a form of censorship by limiting access to certain age groups or populations.
Intellectual property: This pertains to the legal ownership of creative works, and it can sometimes create restrictions on access, use, or distribution of materials.
Cultural censorship: This occurs when there are restrictions on the expression of certain cultural practices or traditions.
Political censorship: This involves censorship based on political beliefs, ideologies, or opinions. It may involve censoring materials that are critical of the government or certain policies.
Religious censorship: This occurs when materials or ideas that contradict or challenge religious beliefs or practices are censored or restricted.
Social censorship: This happens when materials or ideas that may be considered offensive or controversial by a specific society or community are censored or restricted.
Moral censorship: This involves censorship based on moral beliefs or values, which can be subjective and vary between individuals, communities, and cultures.
Corporate censorship: This involves the restriction of information or ideas by corporations to protect their commercial interests, intellectual property, or public image.
Government censorship: This type of censorship involves the suppression of information or ideas by a government or its agencies. It may be done to protect national security, maintain social order, or suppress dissent.
"Viewed as an integral component of a democratic society, intellectual freedom protects an individual's right to access, explore, consider, and express ideas and information."
"It protects an individual's right to access, explore, consider, and express ideas and information as the basis for a self-governing, well-informed citizenry."
"Intellectual freedom comprises the bedrock for freedoms of expression, speech, and the press."
"Intellectual freedom relates to freedoms of information and the right to privacy."
"Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression."
"This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
"The institution of libraries in particular values intellectual freedom as part of their mission to provide and protect access to information and ideas."
"The American Library Association (ALA) defines intellectual freedom as 'the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction.'"
"It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement can be explored."
"The modern concept of intellectual freedom developed out of an opposition to book censorship."
"These entities include, among others, librarianship, education, and the free software movement."
"Intellectual freedom protects an individual's right to access, explore, consider, and express ideas and information as the basis for a self-governing, well-informed citizenry."
"Intellectual freedom protects an individual's right to hold, receive, and disseminate ideas without restriction."
"Intellectual freedom comprises the bedrock for freedoms of expression, speech, and the press."
"Intellectual freedom relates to freedoms of information and the right to privacy."
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, through Article 19, upholds intellectual freedom as a basic human right."
"The institution of libraries values intellectual freedom as part of their mission to provide and protect access to information and ideas."
"The American Library Association defines intellectual freedom as 'the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction.'"
"Librarianship, education, and the free software movement promote intellectual freedom."