For immediate release | May 14, 2024

Webinar: Law and the Right to Read: What Your Trustees Need to Know

United for Libraries will host Law and the Right to Read: What Your Trustees Need to Know on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 1:00-2:00 pm Central. Registration is free to the following United statewide partners: MA, MD, MI, MS, ND, NE, OR, SC, SD, and VA.

Trustees have a special role in upholding the right to read. Many elected and appointed trustees seek out their role because of their love of the library or their local school district, but they may not understand why it’s critical to uphold the First Amendment right to access information for their fellow community members or students.

Trustees will learn the basics of intellectual freedom related to their role, and how First Amendment rights are related to policies and access in our public- and public-school libraries. They will be given the tools needed to support staff and patrons’ rights, including their own, and tackle challenges that arise in their community.

Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, and Theresa Chmara, an attorney in Washington, DC, and General Counsel of the Freedom to Read Foundation will provide Trustees with:

An understanding of publicly funded libraries responsibilities to protect the right to read and access the library under the First and Fourteenth Amendment.
An understanding of proposed laws, ordinances, and administrative rules intended to censor materials or restrict library workers’ ability to provide information to their community Strategies for effective advocacy to preserve the right to read, including networking with local and statewide groups.
Where to find resources through the American Library Association, United for Libraries, and the Freedom to Read Foundation that help fight censorship.

Webinar Date

Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 1:00-2:00 pm Central
Can't attend the live event? No problem! All registrants will receive a link to the recorded session for later viewing at their convenience.

Speakers

Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation
Theresa Chmara, an attorney in Washington, DC, and General Counsel of the Freedom to Read Foundation

Registration Fees

FREE for United for Libraries statewide partners in MA, MD, MI, MS, ND, NE, OR, SC, SD, and VA.
FREE for Freedom to Read Foundation members.
United for Libraries Members: $51.35
ALA Members: $79.10
Non-Members: $79.00

Group Registration

Register a group by purchasing one seat per person who will attend the live webinar and/or access the on-demand recording. United for Libraries personal member can purchase seats for themselves and colleagues or board members at the above United member rate. Additional discounts apply for the purchase of multiple seats:

3-6 seats: save an extra 30% off above rates
7-12 seats: save an extra 35% off above rates
13+ seats: save an extra 40% off above rates

United for Libraries Statewide Partner Registration

United for Libraries statewide partners in MA, MD, MI, MS, ND, NE, OR, SC, SD, and VA receive free registration.

Statewide Partner Registration

Freedom to Read Foundation Member Registration

You will receive a coupon code from the Freedom to Read Foundation. Redeem that code at checkout to receive free registration.

General Registration

Purchase Registration Now

About United for Libraries

United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, is a national network of enthusiastic library supporters who believe in the importance of libraries as the social and intellectual centers of communities and campuses. No one has a stronger voice for libraries than those who use them, raise money for them, and govern them. By uniting these voices, library supporters everywhere will become a real force to be reckoned with at the local, state, and national levels.