Battleaxe for First Amendment Rights

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“Battleaxe for First Amendment Rights” was the slogan for the American Library Association's 1999 Annual Midwinter Meeting, which took place at the Crystal Tea Room of the Wanamaker Building in Philadelphia in honor of the 30th anniversary of its Office for Intellectual Freedom and Freedom to Read Foundation. Both organizations focus on supporting the rights of libraries to collect and provide access to information. According to it’s original charter from November 1969, the four-fold purpose of the Freedom to Read Foundation is to: (1) protect freedom of speech, (2) protect the public’s right to access information and materials, (3) protecting the libraries’ rights to disseminate the information they contain, and (4) supplying libraries and librarians with legal counsel, should they need it in their defense of the First Amendment.

The American Library Association is a non profit organization that supports and promotes libraries, library professionals and library education. The association was founded in 1876 and is the largest library association in the world.