INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM
WPL Policy 1.2 Adopted 8/25/03, Amended 2/28/05, Reaffirmed 8/24/09, 7/23/12

The Westchester Public Library affirms, endorses, and adopts as its own the principles articulated in the Library Bill of Rights, the Free Access to Libraries for Minors, the Freedom to Read Statement, and the Freedom to View Statement, as adopted by the American Library Association (appended).

The Westchester Public Library endeavors to build a collection representing varying points of view. The criteria for the selection of materials on controversial issues are the same as for any other materials. Controversial materials have no distinguishing labels and are shelved in the general collection. The Library assures equal access to all library resources by patrons within the constraints of Illinois law. Patrons are free to select or reject for themselves any item in the collection. Individual or group prejudice about a particular item or type of material in the collection may not preclude its use by others. Parents or legal guardians have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children, and only their children, to library resources.

Parents or legal guardians who do not want their children to have access to certain library services, materials or facilities, should so advise and supervise their children. Librarians cannot assume the role of parents or the functions of parental authority in the private relationship between parent and child.