Religion in American Libraries: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of the press and speech. Courts have held that these rights are meaningful only if people also have the right to receive information—allowing them to read, view, hear, or access what they choose.

The First Amendment also protects religious freedom through two key clauses:

• The “free exercise” clause guarantees the right to believe and practice any religion or none at all.
• The “establishment” clause prohibits the government from creating or endorsing a religion.

These provisions ensure each person’s freedom to practice any religion, to live according to their religious beliefs and customs, and to live without being forced to adopt or participate in any religious beliefs or activities.

Legal issues involving religion and libraries are usually not about the “free exercise” or “establishment” clauses. Instead, most cases involve freedom of expression—the right to share ideas—and the right to access the expression of others. For example, most challenges to materials with religious content do not restrict the challenger’s beliefs or religious practices. Rather, they try to infringe on the rights of others to access constitutionally protected speech.

Library Collections

Library workers have a duty to build inclusive collections. Within budget limits, libraries should meet the information needs of all community members, including religious needs. Collections should include diverse religious materials without promoting any specific belief. They should offer both fiction and nonfiction materials in multiple formats.

Libraries should take care when selecting, shelving, and labeling religious fiction. This is especially important when labeling items with religious symbols. Article I of the Library Bill of Rights states, “Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.” Excluding religious fiction would violate this principle. Libraries need to balance providing access to religious fiction without appearing to endorse a specific viewpoint.

Religious content has the same legal protections as any other type of speech. While library workers should respect the diverse religious traditions of their communities, their primary role is to serve the information needs of all users.

Library policies should not treat the following differently from other topics:

• the shelving of religious materials;
• the storage or display of religious objects; or
• providing access to religious websites.

Favoring one religious tradition over others could violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Libraries should follow their cataloging system to help users find religious materials. Giving special treatment to or limiting access to a specific sacred text or object may violate the Library Bill of Rights. This includes the categorization of religious documents, particularly of marginalized religions, into folklore or mythology sections.

Libraries can add religious materials to the collection to meet community needs. However, they should not remove or limit access based on religious affiliation or content. All religious materials should be treated fairly and respectfully.

Libraries may set aside shelving for scripture if they also have designated areas for other specialized materials such as:

• atlases;
• directories;
• college guides;
• dictionaries; or
• local history.

All scriptures should be treated equally, including texts that occupy a similar status among other groups (e.g., the Humanist Manifesto II).

Libraries should not remove or restrict access to resources based on an individual’s objections based on personal religious belief. A library’s review procedure and policies should ensure that one person’s religious beliefs do not affect another person’s access to library resources.^[i]

Meeting Rooms

Libraries do not have to provide meeting room space to community groups. Courts have held that if libraries provide meeting room space for community use, they may not exclude religious groups solely because the group is religious or is hosting religious activities.^[ii]

Courts have also ruled that libraries are limited public forums for receiving information. This means libraries can designate areas for community use and create rules for how those spaces are used. Libraries should provide equal access and apply the same rules to everyone. These rules should be content neutral and only regulate time, place, and manner. Libraries must be consistent, ensuring all groups follow the same rules, such as:

• rental fees;
• use restrictions;
• conduct and safety policies; and
• food bans.^[iii]

Displays

Libraries do not have to open display or exhibit spaces to community groups. However, if they do, all groups must have equal access, regardless of their beliefs or affiliations.

The Library Bill of Rights states, “Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.” Denying or restricting access to these spaces based on religious beliefs or content would violate this principle.

Religious groups should also have the same access to community literature distribution spaces as other groups. Library policies about literature distribution should cover:

• how many items can be distributed;
• size limits for materials; and
• how long items will be left out.

For more guidance, see “Exhibit Spaces and Bulletin Boards: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.”

Policies about use of the library and its resources should be available to all library users.

Conclusion

Because religion is a sensitive and sometimes controversial topic for library users, it should receive the full protections guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and the Library Bill of Rights.

For more information about staff and users’ religious beliefs in libraries, see “Religion in American Libraries Q&A.”^[iv]

Notes

Adopted June 28, 2016, by the ALA Council; amended June 29, 2025.