Freedom to Read Week 2016: Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries and the Annual Challenges Survey
February 21, 2016
February 21 to 27 is Freedom to Read Week, an annual event organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Two important tools in support of intellectual freedom in Canada are the Canadian Library Association Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries and the Annual Survey of Challenges to Canadian Library Resources and Policies.
Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries
Revised in 2015, the Statement seeks to provide a broader national and international context for the role of libraries in ensuring intellectual freedom as well as a framework for Canadian libraries to provide, defend, and promote equitable access to the widest possible variety of expressive content and resist calls for censorship and the adoption of systems that deny or restrict access to resources.
Annual Survey of Challenges to Canadian Library Resources and Policies
The Annual Challenges Survey was initiated for the Canadian Library Association in 2006 to gather information about the nature and outcome of challenges experienced in each calendar year by publicly-funded libraries across Canada to their materials and policies. Data from the survey help to inform the Association’s policy and advocacy work for intellectual freedom. A corollary aim of the survey is to encourage library documentation, public reporting, and transparency about challenges to materials and policies.
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