6. Freedom to read
- Libraries Tasmania upholds the right of individuals to set and follow their own standards for acceptable reading materials, and support the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) statement on free access to information.
- Collection Development purchase and acquire materials that have been reviewed and authorised for general public access by the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Enforcement Act 1995. Legal requirements, for example DVDs rated MA15+ or R18, are managed using circulation rules including restricting loans to library borrowers in the correct age group. The censorship of titles such as removing or restricting access to them is not supported even if some clients may find the content offensive.
- The selection of items is not influenced by the possibility that they may be accessed by children. While Libraries Tasmania takes every care in allocating resources to appropriate areas of each library, the reading and viewing activities of children and young people under 18 are the responsibility of their parents or caregivers, who can guide the selection of appropriate materials in overseeing their children’s development.