The third statement of the American Library Association Code of Ethics Reads:
"We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted."
Librarians take this statement very seriously. Whether we are protecting a young adult library patron trying to find "forbidden" information or, an elderly reader addicted to the "Twilight" series, we won't tell ANYONE what you're reading...
President Obama recognized that in past times, this commitment has always been part of the library "calling." In a speech before the American Library Association in 1995, he said,
What some people may not
remember is that for years, librarians have been on the frontlines of this
fight for our privacy and our freedom. There have always been dark times in our
history where America has strayed from our best ideas. The question has always
been: Who will be there to stand up against those forces? One of the groups
that has consistently stood up has been librarians. When political groups tried
to censor great works of literature, you were the ones who put Huckleberry
Finn and Catcher in the Rye back on the shelves, making sure that
our access to free thought and free information was protected.
The American Library Association: standing up for your intellectual rights since 1876!!
