MLA Statements of Principle

For the past year, MLA’s Intellectual Freedom Task Force has been focused on refining our commitment to censorship challenges in our public libraries. We have found that we needed talking points to counter questions and concerns about age appropriateness and about rating and labeling systems. Over the course of the past two months, the task force, the Advocacy and Legislative Committee and the MLA Board have been workshopping these statements of principle that outline our stance when it comes to these challenges. These are statements that have been molded and shaped into shared messaging that reinforces our library values of protecting intellectual freedom for every citizen of Michigan.

Statement of Principle on Book Rating Systems and Labelling in Public Libraries (pdf)

Statement of Principle on Age Appropriateness and Placement of Materials in Public Libraries (pdf)