Introduction
The world is in the midst of an
electronic communications revolution. Based on its constitutional, ethical, and
historical heritage, American librarianship is uniquely positioned to address
the broad range of information issues being raised in this revolution. In
particular, librarians address intellectual freedom from a strong ethical base
and an abiding commitment to the preservation of the individual’s rights.
Freedom of expression is an
inalienable human right and the foundation for self-government. Freedom of expression
encompasses the freedom of speech and the corollary right to receive information. These
rights extend to minors as well as adults. Libraries and librarians exist to facilitate
the exercise of these rights by selecting, producing, providing access to, identifying,
retrieving, organizing, providing instruction in the use of, and preserving recorded
expression regardless of the format or technology.
The American Library Association
expresses these basic principles of librarianship in its
Code of Ethics and in the
Library Bill of Rights and its
Interpretations. These serve to guide librarians and library governing bodies in
addressing issues of intellectual freedom that arise when the library provides access to
electronic information, services, and networks.
Issues arising from the still-developing
technology of computer-mediated information generation, distribution, and
retrieval need to be approached and regularly reviewed from a context of
constitutional principles and ALA policies so that fundamental and traditional
tenets of librarianship are not swept away.
Electronic information flows
across boundaries and barriers despite attempts by individuals, governments, and private
entities to channel or control it. Even so, many people, for reasons of technology,
infrastructure, or socio-economic status do not have access to electronic information.
In making decisions about how to
offer access to electronic information, each library should consider its mission, goals,
objectives, cooperative agreements, and the needs of the entire community it serves.
The Rights of Users
All library system and
network policies, procedures or regulations relating to electronic resources and
services should be scrutinized for potential violation of user rights.
User policies should be developed
according to the policies and guidelines established by the American Library Association,
including
Guidelines for the Development and
Implementation of Policies, Regulations, and Procedures Affecting Access to Library
Materials, Services and Facilities.
Users should not be restricted or
denied access for expressing or receiving constitutionally protected speech. Users’
access should not be changed without due process, including, but not limited to, formal
notice and a means of appeal.
Although electronic systems may include
distinct property rights and security concerns, such elements may not be
employed as a subterfuge to deny users’ access to information. Users have the
right to be free of unreasonable limitations or conditions set by libraries,
librarians, system administrators, vendors, network service providers, or
others. Contracts, agreements, and licenses entered into by libraries on behalf
of their users should not violate this right. Users also have a right to
information, training and assistance necessary to operate the hardware and
software provided by the library.
Users have both the right of
confidentiality and the right of privacy. The library should uphold these rights by
policy, procedure, and practice. Users should be advised, however, that because security
is technically difficult to achieve, electronic transactions and files could become public.
The rights of users who are minors
shall in no way be abridged.1
Equity of Access
Electronic
information, services, and networks provided directly or indirectly by the
library should be equally, readily and equitably accessible to all library
users. American
Library Association policies oppose the charging of user fees for the provision
of information services by all libraries and information services that receive
their major support from public funds (50.3; 53.1.14; 60.1; 61.1). It should be
the goal of all libraries to develop policies concerning access to electronic resources in light of
Economic
Barriers to Information Access: an Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights and
Guidelines
for the Development and Implementation of Policies, Regulations and Procedures Affecting
Access to Library Materials, Services and Facilities.
Information Resources and Access
Providing
connections to global information, services, and networks is not the same as selecting and
purchasing material for a library collection. Determining the accuracy or authenticity of
electronic information may present special problems. Some information accessed
electronically may not meet a library’s selection or collection development policy.
It is, therefore, left to each user to determine what is appropriate. Parents and legal
guardians who are concerned about their children’s use of electronic resources should
provide guidance to their own children.
Libraries and librarians should
not deny or limit access to information available via electronic resources because of its
allegedly controversial content or because of the librarian’s personal beliefs or
fear of confrontation. Information retrieved or utilized electronically should be
considered constitutionally protected unless determined otherwise by a court with
appropriate jurisdiction.
Libraries, acting within their
mission and objectives, must support access to information on all subjects that serve the
needs or interests of each user, regardless of the user’s age or the content of the
material. Libraries have an obligation to provide access to government information
available in electronic format. Libraries and librarians should not deny access to
information solely on the grounds that it is perceived to lack value.
In order to prevent the loss of
information, and to preserve the cultural record, libraries may need to expand
their selection or collection development policies to ensure preservation, in
appropriate formats, of information obtained electronically.
Electronic resources provide unprecedented
opportunities to expand the scope of information available to users. Libraries
and librarians should provide access to information presenting all points of
view. The provision of access does not imply sponsorship or endorsement. These principles pertain to
electronic resources no less than they do to the more traditional sources of
information in libraries.2
Adopted by the ALA Council,
January 24, 1996
[ISBN: 8389-7830-4]
Collection Development Policy
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