Resources and Related Links

American Library Association (ALA)
ala.org

Founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the American Library Association was created to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. The ALA’s current strategic plan, ALA Ahead to 2015, calls for continued work in the areas of Advocacy for Libraries and the Profession, Diversity, Education and Lifelong Learning, Equitable Access to Information and Library Services, Intellectual Freedom, Literacy, Organizational Excellence and Transforming Libraries.

50 E. Huron
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 800-545-2433

The ALA Washington Office:
The Office of Government Relations (OGR)
The Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP)
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 403
Washington, DC 20004
Phone: 202-628-8410
Fax: 202-628-8419

American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom
ala.org/offices/oif

Established December 1, 1967, the Office for Intellectual Freedom is charged with implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association’s basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials.

Cooperative Children’s Book Center/Intellectual Freedom
School of Education
University of Wisconsin-Madison
600 North Park Street, Room 4290
Madison, Wisconsin 53706

Phone: 608-263-3720
Fax: 608-262-4933
Email: ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu
education.wisc.edu/ccbc/freedom/ifservices.asp

The Intellectual Freedom section of the CCBC website provides information about Intellectual Freedom services, resources, steps to take when materials are challenged, and the Ginny Moore Kruse Intellectual Freedom Fund.

The National Coalition Against Censorship
ncac.org

National Coalition Against censorship (NCAC), founded in 1974, is an alliance of fifty national nonprofit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups. United by a conviction that freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression must be defended, they work to educate their own members and the public at large about the dangers of censorship and how to oppose them.

International PEN/USA – Pen USA Freedom to Write USA
penusa.org
Since 1921, International PEN has championed freedom of expression and defended writers of conscience. PEN members were influential in crafting Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” PEN holds Category A status at UNESCO and consultative status with the United Nations where the organization lobbies on behalf of writers who are harassed, imprisoned, and murdered for the peaceful expression of their views.

First Amendment Center
FirstAmendmentCenter.org

The First Amendment Center’s website features comprehensive coverage of key First Amendment issues and topics, a unique First Amendment Library, and guest analyses by respected legal specialists. The site is operated by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and in Arlington, Virginia.

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
bookweb.org/advocacy/free-expression

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression is the bookseller’s voice in the fight against censorship. Founded by the American Booksellers Association in 1990, ABFFE’s mission is to promote and protect the free exchange of ideas, particularly those contained in books, by opposing restrictions on the freedom of speech; issuing statements on significant free expression controversies; participating in legal cases involving First Amendment rights; collaborating with other groups with an interest in free speech; and providing education about the importance of free expression to booksellers, other members of the book industry, politicians, the press and the public.

Random House Children’s Books: Read a Banned Book
rhcbooks.com/brand/2968/read-a-banned-book/about

Random House Children’s Books is committed to those who stand against censorship. The site provides strategies, discussions, and activities about banned books to share with students and patrons. The site also provides a list of banned books and features comments from author Judy Blume and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas.