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Feature Stories
ACCESS – Small Word, Big Concept
Banned Books Week: Information and Resources
Don’t Pooh-Pooh Policy – A Pop Quiz
Film Censorship in Ohio
Intellectual Freedom, a Matter of Attitude
The Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA)
The First 30 Seconds: Helping Front Line Staff Respond to Challenges
The Ohio Library Council’s Intellectual Freedom Committee
What is the Freedom to Read Foundation?
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Intellectual Freedom & Libraries
Considering Libraries as Places to Freely Explore, Express, and Exchange Ideas
State Librarian's Report 
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. ~ John F. Kennedy
The articles in this edition of the State Library of Ohio Newsletter emphasize the important role libraries play as places for the public to freely explore, express, and exchange ideas. This emphasis is prompted by the approach of Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read, which will be observed in libraries and schools across the U.S. during the last week of September. Judith Krug, a prominent advocate for libraries and the First Amendment, founded Banned Books Week in 1982. A banned book is one that has been removed from a school or library while a challenged book is one that a group or individual has attempted to ban. The American Library Association (ALA) notes that books are most often “challenged with the best intentions – to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information.”
Banned Books Week is based on the concept of Intellectual Freedom, which the ALA says, “encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas." The Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts that “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.” Librarians view Intellectual Freedom as a core responsibility and work to ensure that libraries are places that facilitate the exploration and expression of ideas, even those that may be unorthodox or unpopular. In its Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom, The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions states, “Libraries provide access to information, ideas and works of imagination. They serve as gateways to knowledge, thought and culture.”
We hope the articles presented here will challenge you to think and learn more about Intellectual Freedom and the important role libraries play in providing everyone with access to information; learn how to prepare for and respond to threats to challenges to materials in your library’s collection; discover resources to help you plan a Banned Books Week event or display; learn about the Federal Research Public Access Act and its impact on public access to research funded by tax dollars; and learn about the work of organizations such as the Freedom to Read Foundation and the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Ohio Library Council.
Beverly Cain
State Librarian of Ohio
A list of upcoming themes for The News is available on the Contribute to the News page.
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