The document was unanimously adopted by the ALA Council on January 24, 1996. ALA has asked that this interpretation be widely disseminated in order to combat growing restrictions on electronic information. The world is in the midst of an electronic communications revolution. Based on its constitutional, ethical, and historical heritage, American librarianship is uniquely positioned to address the broad range of information issues being raised in this revolution. In particular, librarians address intellectual freedom from a strong ethical base and an abiding commitment to the preservation of the individual's rights.
Freedom of expression is an inalienable human right and the foundation for self-government.
Freedom of expression encompasses the freedom of speech and the corollary right to receive information. These rights extend to minors as well as adults. Libraries and librarians exist to facilitate the exercise of these rights by selecting, producing, providing access to, identifying, retrieving, organizing, providing instruction in the use of , and preserving recorded expression regardless of the format or technology. The American Library Association expresses these basic principles of librarianship in its Code of Ethics and in the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretations. These serve to guide librarians and library governing bodies in addressing issues of intellectual freedom that arise when the library provides access to electronic information, services, and networks.