Protecting the Public's Freedom to Read

The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. As part of our freedom of expression, it is a right guaranteed by both the Constitution of the United Statesand the Constitution of Montana. It is your responsibility as a trustee to help ensure that this right is not impinged upon.

Most library mission statements endorse the concept of intellectual freedom-that is, the right of any person to free expression and free access to ideas. Trustees can support this concept by adopting library policies that incorporate the basic principles set forth in the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement. That way, you will ensure that library users receive access to the widest possible variety of resources.