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Intellectual Freedom, Censorship, and Professional Ethics

Intellectual Freedom and Censorship

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I want to begin this section with a core definition that we, as librarians, should all know well. Intellectual Freedom is at the heart of what it means to work at the library – it is something that we all should want to defend, for ALL our patrons. 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 may be explored” (Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A | ALA, n.d.).

Right now, I am typing up this blog page on November 2nd, 2025 – quite possibly the weirdest timeline I have ever lived though in my 50+ years on this planet. Foundational beliefs that I was raised with, grown up with, and developed over my lifetime, are under attack. Intellectual Freedom is under attack. There are those who would like to censor ideas and beliefs that do not align with their own. This is NOT what our public libraries are about! As the ALA states above, Intellectual Freedom defends everyone’s right to seek and receive information “without restriction.” As librarians, I can say with almost 100% certainty that you have most likely had a patron request materials that go against your own personal values. They have asked for materials that most certainly would NOT be in your TBR (“to be read”) pile. But that is the wonderful thing about libraries! There is something there for everyone! Libraries are for everyone! It is not up to us to determine what someone should, or should not, have access to. And that is what makes libraries beautiful.

Censorship is defined by the ALA as “limiting or removing access to words, images, or ideas. The decision to restrict or deny access is made by a governing authority. This could be a person, group, or organization/business. Censorship by the government is illegal” (Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A | ALA, n.d.). So how is censorship happening right now, in 2025? The ALA has a wonderful page available as a resource to all of us, entitled Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A (Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Q & A | ALA, n.d.). Here are some examples they have provided:

Censorship at an academic library can look like:
- Collections not reflecting the wide range of research and pedagogical needs of their campus community.
- Removing exhibits and unique collections (such as archives, special collections, and digital repositories) without following established reconsideration policy/procedure.
- Faculty being restricted from teaching and researching potentially controversial topics.
Censorship at a public library can look like:
- Deciding not to purchase a popular title because they (the librarian) personally object to the content or author.
- Requiring a user to ask for access to regularly circulating materials (e.g., reshelving, behind a desk).
- Library boards require library staff to pull materials without following established reconsideration policy/procedure.
Censorship at a school library can look like:
- Requiring a parent/guardian’s signature to check out material within the student’s regular school library.
- Creating guidelines to restrict materials based on the age, reading level, or grade of the student.
- School administration or community members removing materials from the library without following established reconsideration policy/procedure.

Book bans are especially prevalent in schools. PEN America, an organization that tracks book bans in the United States, has documented nearly 23,000 book bans in U.S. public schools since 2021. This censorship is being mobilized by groups that espouse conservative viewpoints, and it predominantly targets books about race and racism or books featuring individuals of color and LGBTQ+ people and topics (ltolin, 2025). In the 2024-2025 school year, PEN America recorded 6,870 instances of book bans affecting nearly 4,000 unique titles. Florida was the number one state for book bans (2,304 instances) followed by Texas (1,781 bans) and Tennessee (1,622 bans) (ltolin, 2025). You can find their list of the most banned books of the 2024-2025 school year here - https://pen.org/banned-books-list-2025/ - titles include A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, Breathless by Jennifer Niven, Sold by Patricia McCormick, Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – just to name the top five (ltolin, 2025).

The Professional Ethics of Librarianship

As librarians, there are several documents that we should all read and know, namely:

The ALA Library Bill of Rights - https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
Freedom to Read Statement - https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomreadstatement
Freedom to View Statement - https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/freedomviewstatement
ALA Code of Ethics - https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics
Your library’s collection development and materials reconsideration policies.

Regarding Intellectual Freedom and Censorship, I would like to highlight the ALA Code of Ethics. This is the document that the ALA has provided us with that “translates the values of intellectual freedom that define the profession of librarianship into broad principles that may be used by individual members of that profession as well as by others employed in a library as a framework for dealing with situations involving ethical conflicts” (ALA Code of Ethics | ALA, n.d.).

The ALA Code of Ethics:

We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.
We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources.
We protect each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted.
We respect intellectual property rights and advocate balance between the interests of information users and rights holders.
We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions.
We do not advance private interests at the expense of library users, colleagues, or our employing institutions.
We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources.
We strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing our own knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of co-workers, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.
We affirm the inherent dignity and rights of every person. We work to recognize and dismantle systemic and individual biases; to confront inequity and oppression; to enhance diversity and inclusion; and to advance racial and social justice in our libraries, communities, profession, and associations through awareness, advocacy, education, collaboration, services, and allocation of resources and spaces.

The above highlighting is intentional. Four out of the nine items in the ALA Code of Ethics are directly related to protecting Intellectual Freedom and fighting against censorship. The defense of Intellectual Freedom, and the fight against censorship, is core to who we are as librarians. It is in our DNA. And since this blog is about working with patrons who have disabilities or who are neurodiverse at your library, how can we ensure those patrons experience the intellectual freedom we desire for everyone? And how can we ensure that the materials they want are free from censorship?

To start, we need to ensure that they have access to the materials that they want. The materials need to be in formats that they can use and want – audiobooks, large print, screen readers, and captioned videos, just to name a few. We need to ensure that our libraries are accessible, by removing all barriers for this community – physical barriers, as well as digital and sensory barriers. And as librarians, we need to leave our assumptions at the entrance – we should not assume what these patrons can or should read. They should be provided with options the same as any patron of the library. Attempting to know what a patron with a disability, or who is neurodiverse, “should” like to read is just as bad as censorship. Ensure that our collections portray protagonists with disabilities, or who are neurodiverse, even if the books contain protagonists who are controversial or imperfect – we want the representation for this community to be realistic and varied, not sanitized so it paints an unrealistic picture of the community.

It is important for us to serve all our patrons equally, without allowing any personal beliefs about disability to skew our services. Yes, these patrons might need things to be accessible for them, but be sure to treat these patrons like you would treat any other patron in your library. Because that is what they are – just another patron in your library – who is there to enjoy the library just like everyone else.

Picture Credits - Sidebar Pictures from https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data; Header and Footer Pictures from iStock.