Freedom to Read Foundation
The Freedom to Read Foundation, established in 1969 by the American Library Association, is dedicated to promoting and defending the principles of freedom of speech and the press. Its mission centers on ensuring public access to information and protecting the rights of libraries to provide all materials in their collections without censorship. The foundation provides legal support for libraries and librarians facing challenges to their First Amendment rights, including funding for litigation and informal legal advice. It has participated in significant First Amendment cases, advocating for a diverse range of literary works and addressing various controversial topics such as obscenity, national security, and student press freedom. The foundation operates under the belief that addressing offensive speech through open dialogue is essential for maintaining a free exchange of ideas. Through its efforts, the Freedom to Read Foundation seeks to uphold a robust and inclusive public discourse, recognizing the complexities of diverse perspectives on sensitive issues.
Freedom to Read Foundation
Founded: 1969
Type of organization: Nonprofit foundation promoting freedom of speech and of the press, particularly regarding libraries and librarians
Significance: An adjunct to the American Library Association, the Freedom to Read Foundation defends the First Amendment rights of libraries, librarians, and library patrons
In 1969 the American Library Association (ALA) formed the Freedom to Read Foundation in order to promote and protect freedom of speech and freedom of the press, protect the public’s right of access to information and materials stored in the nation’s libraries, to safeguard libraries’ right to disseminate all materials contained in their collections, and to support libraries and librarians in their defense of First Amendment rights by furnishing legal counsel or furnishing the means to obtain it.
The foundation has assisted persons in litigation by securing legal counsel, providing funding, participating directly, or by filing briefs as a friend of the court in critical First Amendment cases. In addition, it has provided informal legal advice to libraries that have been challenged by political officials or various interest groups to remove objectionable books. Among the important and controversial works that the foundation has defended are some the greatest and most widely read works of literature by authors ranging from Aristophanes and Geoffrey Chaucer to Kurt Vonnegut and Bernard Malamud.
Among the issues that the foundation has addressed are obscenity, child pornography, creationism, satanism, abortion counseling, national security, political propaganda, religious expression, student press freedom, depictions of violence, surveillance of libraries by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, prior restraint, privacy of library records, and restrictions on cyberspeech. The foundation is “devoted to the principle that the solution to offensive speech is more speech, and that suppression of speech on the grounds that it gives offense to some infringes on the rights of all to a free, open and robust marketplace of ideas.”