Bryan-Bennett Library Anti-Censorship Policy

The mission of the Bryan-Bennett Library is to provide the community and general public with open and equal access to intellectual, educational and recreational resources and to promote awareness of informational services and resources in order to meet patrons’ present and future needs. The Bryan-Bennett Board is resolved that access to information is essential for education, employment, enjoyment and self-government. [Paraphrased from Bryan-Bennett Library’s Vision and Mission Statements]

Whereas, the Bryan-Bennett Board recognizes that censorship and the suppression of ideas or information undermines this mission and harms our community, the Library Board has resolved the following:

• Bryan-Bennett will build a collection representing varying points of view. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background or views of those contributing to their creation. Materials should not be removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
• When a patron selects materials or accesses any library resource, it is a matter of the individual’s right.
• Responsibility for the reading materials of children and adolescents rests with their parents or legal guardians. While a person may reject materials for himself or herself and for his or her children, he or she cannot exercise censorship to restrict access to the materials by others.
• Bryan-Bennett Library does not endorse or promote the ideas, opinions, or viewpoints expressed in any materials in our collection. The Library Board and staff believe that patrons have the right to access a diversity of perspectives and to form their own opinions based on their own critical analysis.
• Bryan-Bennett Library will resist any attempt to censor or restrict access to our collection, whether it comes from individuals or organizations within or outside of the library.
• The Library Board and Staff reserve the right to place materials in the age section we deem appropriate based on the content of the materials. This decision will be made based on publisher recommendations, professional judgment, and consideration of age appropriateness of the content, as well as the potential interest and needs of our patrons.
• The library board and staff reserve the right to feature, promote, and display materials as they deem appropriate.

[This policy was prepared using fundamentals from the American Library Association Bill of Rights and the Carbondale Public Library Anti-Censorship Policy.]