Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

Former title "Equity, Diversity, Inclusion"

Equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging are central to promoting and practicing intellectual freedom. Libraries play a vital role in:

  • democracy;
  • self-government;
  • personal development;
  • social progress; and
  • everyone’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

To support these goals, libraries and library workers should embrace equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all that they do.

Equity means considering differences to ensure a fair process and outcome. It recognizes that some groups have faced barriers to education and employment. Many of these barriers still exist today. As a result, these groups are often underrepresented or marginalized. Equity focuses on increasing diversity, inclusion, and belonging by improving the conditions of disadvantaged groups.

Diversity means the sum of the ways people are the same and different. Embracing diversity means recognizing and valuing the unique qualities in each person.

Inclusion is an environment where everyone:

  • is treated fairly and with respect;
  • is valued for their unique skills, experiences, abilities, and perspectives; and
  • has equitable access to resources and other opportunities.

Belonging is when every person feels truly welcomed and included. To create this environment, library workers, administrators, and governing bodies should reflect the origins, age, background, and views of their community. Library spaces, programs, and collections should meet the needs of every user to ensure everyone feels they belong.

The principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging are guided by the Library Bill of Rights 1:

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, age, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
  • Origin means all the traits someone is born into and can’t change.
  • Age means all the traits that come with a person’s stage of life and maturity.
  • Background means all the traits that are a result of a person’s life experiences.
  • Views means all the opinions and beliefs held and expressed by a person.

Libraries must provide equitable and inclusive access. To do this, they must work closely and talk with diverse communities to understand their needs and goals. This helps libraries offer collections and services that meet those needs.

A diverse collection includes content by and about a wide array of people and cultures. This ensures it authentically reflects a variety of ideas, information, stories, and experiences. Library collections should reflect the languages spoken and read by the community. Materials should come in various formats to serve the needs of all community members.

Mainstream publishers and other producers have historically underrepresented diverse authors and viewpoints. Finding, reviewing, and acquiring those materials may take extra effort. Libraries should seek out alternative, small-press, independent, and self-published content in a variety of formats.

Libraries may benefit from partnerships and cooperative efforts to help find and acquire diverse materials. Interlibrary loans can support this effort but should not replace building local diverse local collections.

The entire community the library serves should be able to access all materials. Books and resources should meet the needs of a broad range of abilities, skills, tools, and preferences. They should also be compatible with adaptive or assistive technologies.

Library materials should be easy for the community to find. Cataloging, labeling, and displays help make this possible. Libraries must avoid systems that limit or restrict access to resources.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Intellectual freedom is the key to equitable library services. It means providing free access to a wide range of ideas so people can explore questions, causes, and movements. Libraries should do more than avoid excluding materials representing unorthodox or unpopular ideas. They should actively include a diverse range of genres, ideas, and expressions. Underrepresented and marginalized people the library serves should see themselves in the resources and programs the library offers.2 A full commitment to equity, diversity, belonging, and inclusion requires that library collections and programming represent many kinds of ideas, stories, and experiences—even those that some find controversial.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

Libraries are forums for information and ideas. By challenging censorship, they create an inclusive environment where people can explore ideas, information, stories, and experiences from a wide range of people and cultures. Materials and programming don’t need to appeal to everyone. Libraries have a responsibility to provide access to all points of view, not just the most popular opinions.

Library workers have a professional and ethical duty to defend a user’s right to read, view, or listen to content protected by the First Amendment. They must do so fairly and justly, regardless of the user or creator’s viewpoint or personal history.3 To prepare for challenges, libraries should adopt clear policies and procedures. While community objections and complaints should be considered respectfully, controversy alone should not dictate policy.

Governing bodies, administrators, and library workers must discourage self-censorship. Fears and biases can suppress diverse voices in collections, programming, and services.4 Libraries should counter censorship by practicing inclusion and censorship awareness programming.

IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.

American society has always included people of diverse origin, age, background, and views. The constitutional principles of free expression and free access to ideas support and affirm this diversity. Limiting these freedoms threatens the core American values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Libraries should build and maintain strong ties to groups that support the rights of socially excluded, marginalized, and underrepresented people. Libraries should stand with anyone working to protect free expression and free access to ideas.

V. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.

The principle of inclusion is clear and unambiguous in the Library Bill of Rights and its interpretations and supporting documents.

To uphold this principle, libraries should regularly review their policies to increase access to collections and services. Policies, services, and programming should evolve to meet the community’s changing needs. Libraries should remove or revise policies that restrict access. Examples of exclusionary policies include:

  • identification requirements;
  • overdue charges and fees; or
  • deposits for service.5

Libraries must base access restrictions solely on behavior, not unfair differences between people or groups. Libraries may not base restrictions on:

  • race;
  • ethnicity;
  • national origin;
  • sexual orientation;
  • gender or gender identity;
  • religious affiliation;
  • age;
  • disability6; or
  • disease.7
VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

Publicly available library spaces serve as forums for people and groups of all origins, ages, backgrounds, and views. These spaces should have clear policies that define when and how they can be used. Policies should be inclusive and not limit access based on the content, beliefs, affiliations, or views of people using the space.

Libraries should actively encourage and support participation from marginalized and underrepresented community members in public forums. Policies should be available in languages and formats that are accessible to the community. The use of public forums and library spaces should not block access to library facilities or resources.

Libraries should welcome diverse content in exhibits and diverse ideas, people, and groups in their meeting rooms. This includes content and groups that some community members may find objectionable or offensive.

For more guidance on use of meeting rooms in libraries, see ALA’s “Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.”8

VII. All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.

The right to privacy and confidentiality in libraries is essential. These rights allow people to access information without fear of consequences. Without privacy, people may avoid reading or viewing certain materials. This limits their ability to explore ideas and connect with the world. Surveillance and monitoring harms marginalized groups the most. For these reasons, privacy and confidentiality are essential to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Libraries should have policies and practices that minimize surveillance and the tracking of someone’s library use. These policies should be easy to find and available in formats and languages that everyone can access. Children and youth have the same rights to privacy as adults.

People should always have a choice to consent—or not to consent—to being tracked and monitored. Any data collection or surveillance should only happen when it’s required to provide services.

Library workers must protect privacy in everything they do, including:

  • selecting and using library content;
  • selecting software tools;
  • designing library spaces;
  • interacting with users; and
  • responding to law enforcement.

For more guidance on the rights of library users and responsibilities of libraries, see ALA’s “Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights”9 and “Library Privacy Guidelines.”10

Conclusion

Library workers, governing bodies, administrators should uphold the Library Bill of Rights to serve the entire community. They can do this by embracing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Notes

1. “Library Bill of Rights,” adopted June 19, 1939, by the ALA Council; amended October 14, 1944; June 18, 1948; February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967; January 23, 1980; January 29, 2019.

2. “Library-Initiated Programs as a Resource: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights,” adopted January 27, 1982, by the ALA Council; amended June 26, 1990; July 12, 2000; and June 26, 2018, under the previous name “Library-Initiated Programs as a Resource”; amended June 24, 2019 under the previous name “Library-Initiated Programs and Displays as a Resource”; and June 29, 2025.

3. “Diverse and Inclusive Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights,” adopted July 14, 1982, by the ALA Council; amended January 10, 1990; July 2, 2008; July 1, 2014, under the previous name “Diversity in Collection Development”; and June 25, 2019 under the previous name “Diverse Collections”; and May 29, 2025.

4. “Challenged Resources: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights”, Adopted June 25, 1971, by the ALA Council; amended July 1, 1981; January 10, 1990; January 28, 2009; July 1, 2014; January 29, 2019; and May 29, 2025.

5. “Guidelines for the Development of Policies and Procedures Regarding User Behavior and Library Usage”, Adopted by the Intellectual Freedom Committee, January 24, 1993; revised November 17, 2000; January 19, 2005; March 29, 2014; March 24, 2019; July 29, 2019; and August 16, 2020.

6. "Services to People with Disabilities: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights." Adopted January 28, 2009, by the ALA Council under the previous name "Services to Persons with Disabilities"; amended June 26, 2018; and June 29, 2025.

7. “Economic Barriers to Library Access: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights,” adopted June 30, 1993, by the ALA Council and amended June 25, 2019 under the previous name “Economic Barriers to Information Access: and June 29, 2025.

8. “Meeting Rooms: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights,” adopted July 2, 1991, by the ALA Council; amended June 26, 2018; amended version rescinded August 16, 2018; amended January 29, 2019; and June 29, 2025.

9. “Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights”, adopted June 19, 2002, by the ALA Council; amended July 1, 2014; June 24, 2019; and June 29, 2025.

10. “Library Privacy Guidelines”; https://www.ala.org/advocacy/privacy/guidelines

Adopted June 27, 2017 by the ALA Council under previous name “Equity, Diversity, Inclusion”; amended May 29, 2025.