Intellectual Freedom
We stand for the opportunity for all Utahns to read, view, listen, speak, write, or think freely. If you know of a situation where such an opportunity is being withheld or obstructed, especially in regard to Utah libraries, please contact the committee through this form for confidential support.
Resources
Click here for more intellectual freedom resources!
2022 ULA Annual Conference Presentation: Defending Intellectual Freedom
EveryLibrary Petition: I Support Utah Libraries
We, UEA (Utah Education Association) UELMA (Utah Educational Library Media Association), ULA (Utah Library Association), ULMS (Utah Library Media Supervisors) express our strong beliefs in the First Amendment’s provision of free speech, which also includes the freedom to read and listen to other people’s perspectives. We are committed to challenging censorship in any form as protected by these rights.
Adopted in 1939 by the American Library Association, the Library Bill of Rights emphasizes equal and equitable access for all individuals, including minors, to a diverse collection by and about various people and cultures that “should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves.” Our library collection must be inclusive of and relevant to all members of each school community.
As trained and experienced school librarians and educators, we observe policies and procedures to select resources for the library. Statewide our school districts have reconsideration processes in place in the event that resources may be challenged. These processes for challenged materials are a well-established framework that not only provide legal protection for our school district, but also protect each individual child and their access to books they may want to read.
When a book is challenged, it is entitled to due process for review, by an objective body that assesses its merits in their entirety. By evaluating or revisiting any of these works prior to a formal challenge, we jeopardize our intellectual freedom and the procedure for protecting it, as well as subjecting ourselves to legal challenges.
The executive boards of UEA, UELMA, ULA, ULMS have voted to support this position statement.
Inform yourself and those around you!
Read ALA’s Library Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement.
We rely on librarians, educators, and the public to report censorship. If you have encountered censorship and book challenges in your library or school, please help us by using ALA’s Challenge Reporting form.
Current Officers
Co-Chair: Suzanne Helquist Sawyer
Utah Geological Survey Librarian; Project Coordinator for Region 4 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine, Eccles Library at U of U
Co-Chair: Lori Ann Bruton Potter
Duchesne County Library System
Contact the Committee at [email protected].
We care about your privacy! Requests for support are confidential.
Join the Intellectual Freedom Committee
1. Login to your Wild Apricot account.
2. Click on your name in the top right hand corner to view your profile.
3. Click on the “Edit profile” button.
4. Under the “Committees” section, check the box next to “Intellectual Freedom”.
5. Click “Save”.