consortium of libraries centered in Madison, Wisconsin; Multnomah
County, Oregon; Norfolk, Virginia; Tacoma, Washington; and
Westerville, Ohio. The parties also took depositions from
several other librarians and library board members who did not
testify during the trial, and submitted a number of other
documents regarding individual libraries' policies.
1. The Mission of Public Libraries, and Their
Reference and Collection Development Practices



American public libraries operate in a wide variety of
communities, and it is not surprising that they do not all view
their mission identically. Nor are their practices uniform.
Nevertheless, they generally share a common mission – to provide
patrons with a wide range of information and ideas.
Public libraries across the country have endorsed the
American Library Association's ("ALA") "Library Bill of Rights"
and/or "Freedom to Read Statement," including every library
testifying on behalf of the defendants in this case. The
"Library Bill of Rights," first adopted by the ALA in 1948,
provides, among other things, that "[b]ooks and other library
resources should be provided for the interest, information, and
enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves."
It also states that libraries "should provide materials and
information presenting all points of view on current and
historical issues" and that library materials "should not be
proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal
disapproval."
The ALA's "Freedom to Read" statement, adopted in 1953 and