Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials
As reflected in our Materials Selection Policy, the St. Albert Public Library endorses the basic principles of Intellectual Freedom outlined in the following statement by the Canadian Federation of Library Associations:
The Canadian Federation of Library Associations recognizes and values the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as the guarantor of the fundamental freedoms in Canada
of conscience and religion; of thought, belief, opinion, and expression; of peaceful assembly; and of association.
The Canadian Federation of Library Associations supports and promotes the universal principles of intellectual freedom as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
which include the interlocking freedoms to hold opinions and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
In accordance with these principles, the Canadian Federation of Library Associations affirms that all persons in Canada have a fundamental right, subject only to the Constitution and
the law, to have access to the full range of knowledge, imagination, ideas, and opinion, and to express their thoughts publicly. Only the courts may abridge free expression rights in Canada.
The Canadian Federation of Library Associations affirms further that libraries have a core responsibility to support, defend and promote the universal principles of intellectual freedom and privacy.
The Canadian Federation of Library Associations holds that libraries are a key institution in Canada for rendering expressive content accessible and affordable to all. Libraries are essential gateways for all persons living in Canada to advance themselves through literacy, lifelong learning, social engagement, and cultural enrichment.
Libraries have a core responsibility to safeguard and facilitate access to constitutionally protected expressions of knowledge, imagination, ideas, and opinion, including those which some individuals and groups consider unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable. To this end, in accordance with their mandates and professional values and standards, libraries 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.
Libraries have a core responsibility to safeguard and foster free expression and the right to safe and welcoming places and conditions. To this end, libraries make available their public spaces and services to individuals and groups without discrimination.
Libraries have a core responsibility to safeguard and defend privacy in the individual’s pursuit of expressive content. To this end, libraries protect the identities and activities of library users except when required by the courts to cede them.
Furthermore, in accordance with established library policies, procedures and due process, libraries resist efforts to limit the exercise of these responsibilities while recognizing the right of criticism by individuals and groups.
Library employees, volunteers and employers as well as library governing entities have a core responsibility to uphold the principles of intellectual freedom in the performance of their respective library roles.
In accordance with this statement, the library staff select materials to represent diverse viewpoints, within constraints of budget, space, and availability of resources. The presence of materials in the Library does not constitute endorsement of their contents by the Library.
CFLA Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries
Approval History: June 27, 1974. Amended November 17, 1983; November 18, 1985; September 27, 2015
All written complaints are forwarded to the Collections Manager, who will engage appropriate staff and management in a review of the item based on the request submitted. The decision reached on this or any subsequent reviews will reflect the principles outlined in the Library’s Materials Selection Policy. When the review is completed, the user is provided with a written explanation of the decision.
Personal information contained on this form is collected under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990. MFIPPA\Regulations 29. The information collected will be used in the process of the library’s business. Questions regarding the collection and use of personal information can be directed to: CEO, St. Albert Public Library, #5 St. Anne Street, St. Albert, Alberta T8N 3Z9
