Meeting Rooms, Programs, Displays, and the U.S. Constitution

Libraries and library workers have faced challenges to collections they curate, programs they schedule, and displays they create. While these challenges can be overwhelming when they are raised, it is possible to create policies and practices ahead of time that ensure access to materials, safety for patrons and staff, and that uphold individual First Amendment rights.

Learn how to balance the needs of your community and their right to freely access, use, and enjoy the library while creating and adhering to policies that uphold the First Amendment.

About the Presenters

Deborah Caldwell-Stone is Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. For over twenty years she has worked closely with library professionals and library trustees on a wide range of intellectual freedom issues related to library service in the United States. She has served on the faculty of the ALA-sponsored Lawyers for Libraries and Law for Librarians workshops and is a contributor to the 10th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual. She has contributed articles on law, policy, and intellectual freedom to American Libraries and other publications.

Sarah Lamdan is the Deputy Director at ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom. Before joining ALA, Sarah was an attorney and Professor of Law at CUNY School of Law and a librarian in various academic and private law libraries. Her work has been featured in Library Quarterly, Georgetown Law Technology Review, and NYU's Review of Law & Social Change. Her book Data Cartels was published by Stanford University Press in 2022.

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.