October Shared Offering: The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF)

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FtRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association. FTRF protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect — and individuals to access — information. The FtRF is also one of the sponsors of Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of the freedom to read. This year Banned Books Week was September 22-28.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees all individuals the right to express their ideas without governmental interference, and to read and listen to the ideas of others. The Freedom to Read Foundation was established to promote and defend this right; to foster libraries as institutions wherein every individual's First Amendment freedoms are fulfilled; and to support the right of libraries to include in their collections and make available any work which they may legally acquire.

The Freedom to Read Foundation was the American Library Association's response to its members' interest in providing legal assistance and support to defend librarians whose positions are jeopardized because of their resistance to abridgments of the First Amendment; and to set legal precedent for the freedom to read on behalf of all the people.

The Freedom to Read Foundation was incorporated in November of 1969. Its charter lists four purposes:

• Promoting and protecting the freedom of speech and of the press;
• Protecting the public's right of access to information and materials stored in the nation's libraries;
• Safeguarding libraries' right to disseminate all materials contained in their collections; and
• Supporting libraries and librarians in their defense of First Amendment rights by supplying them with legal counsel or the means to secure it.

The Foundation's work has been divided into three primary activities:

• The allocation and disbursement of grants to individuals and groups for the purpose of aiding them in litigation or otherwise furthering FTRF's goals.
• Direct participation in litigation dealing with freedom of speech and of the press.
• Education about the importance of libraries and the First Amendment to our democratic institutions. 

The Foundation is devoted to the principle that the solution to offensive speech is more speech, and the suppression of speech on the grounds that it gives offense to some infringes on the rights of all to a free, open and robust marketplace of ideas.