3.1 Guiding principles
The following principles guide our commitment to intellectual freedom.
| Principle | What this means |
|---|---|
| Equitable access to information | We provide free and equitable access to information and collections covering a wide range of topics, viewpoints and cultural understandings. We regularly assess content and size of the collections to meet changing community need. Our collection-related policy documents describe how we select collection materials. |
| Diversity, inclusion and safety | Our collections, spaces, programs and services are designed to be welcoming, safe and inclusive representing a diversity of people, places, events, issues and ideas. Our Client Diversity and Inclusion Policy provides further information. We acknowledge the colonial origins of many of our heritage materials and are committed to being a culturally safe library and archives service. |
| Freedom to read | We uphold freedom to read principles, allowing individuals to make their own decisions about what to read, view, and listen to without judgement. |
| Parental choice | We provide diverse collections, resources, and information to support parental choice, in line with their family values, regarding what their child reads from our library collections and views on library public internet devices. |
| Censorship resistance | We resist attempts to censor or control access to library materials on the basis that censorship undermines the democratic principles of intellectual freedom and individual autonomy. |
| Education and advocacy | It is our role to educate the public about the importance of intellectual freedom and advocate for policies and practices that support the free flow of information and ideas. |
| Legal and regulatory frameworks | Our commitment to intellectual freedom is maintained within the boundaries of applicable laws and regulations, ensuring that our collections and services support intellectual freedom while complying with applicable laws including the Anti-Discrimination Act 1998 (Tas). |
