Freedom to Read Foundation (U.S.) | The American Library Association Archives

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization that is affiliated with the American Library Association.  It is a separate organization from ALA with its own membership.  Founded in 1969, FTRF was created in response to ALA members' interest in having adequate means to support and defend librarians whose positions are jepardized because of their resistance to abridgments of the First Amendment.

Its charter lists four purposes:

Promoting and protecting the freedom of speech and of the press; protecting the public's right of access to information and materials stored in the nation's libraries; safeguarding libraries' right to disseminate all materials contained in their collections; and supporting libraries and librarians in their defense of First Amendment rights by supplying them with legal counsel or the means to secure it.

And the Foundation's work has been divided into three primary activities:

The allocation and disbursement of grants to individuals and groups for the purpose of aiding them in litigation or otherwise furthering FTRF's goals; direct participation in litigation dealing with freedom of speech and of the press; and education about the importance of libraries and the First Amendment to our democratic institutions. (1)