Lawyers for Libraries
Our mission: To equip attorneys to counsel and defend libraries, librarians, and library trustees.
Register now to attend an institute!
Upcoming sessions
ALA will be presenting the Southern California "Lawyers for Libraries" Training Institute in Los Angeles, February 27, 2009. This will be the thirteenth in a series of regional institutes following two national institutes in 1997 and 1998.
Please note, this date is a change from the previously announced date of February 20. If you have any questions, contact Jonathan Kelley at (800) 545-2433 x4226.
About Lawyers for Libraries
Lawyers for Libraries, an ongoing project of the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom, is designed to build a nationwide network of attorneys committed to the defense of the First Amendment freedom to read and the application of constitutional law to library policies, principles, and problems.
National Lawyers for Libraries training institutes were held in 1997 and 1998. Regional trainings have been held in 2003 in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco; 2004 in Dallas and Boston; 2005 in Atlanta and Seattle; 2006 in Houston at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference and in Columbus, OH; 2007 in Philadelphia and Denver at the Colorado Association of Libraries Annual Conference; and 2008 in Tampa. Over 300 attendees have participated in Lawyers for Libraries trainings to date. Read the history of Lawyers for Libraries.
We continue to plan future regional trainings. If you are interested in receiving information about upcoming Lawyers for Libraries events, please contact the Office for Intellectual Freedom at lawyers at ala.org or (800) 545-2433, x4226.
Who may attend Lawyers for Libraries
Lawyers for Libraries workshops are open to licensed, practicing attorneys retained to represent or advise libraries on legal issues. Library trustees or board members who are responsible for establishing library policy may also attend. Librarians are encouraged to attend, with the caveat that they must be accompanied by practicing attorneys with whom they work on these issues. (Having a librarian attend with his or her library's attorney can be very helpful for the attorney.)
The February 27 Institute
To register, you can use the secure Lawyers for Libraries online registration form, or you can fill out and send in one of our printable forms: PDF, Word, RTF
- Calendar of workshops
- Lawyers for Libraries interest form
- Continuing legal education credits
- Registration information
- Airline and hotel information
- Praise from past attendees
Instructors and curriculum
Lawyers for Libraries resources
Intellectual freedom basics
- First Amendment basics
- Censorship basics
- American Library basics
- ALA statements & policies
- Intellectual freedom issues
Intellectual freedom hot topics
- FBI in your library
- USA Patriot Act
- USA Patriot Act in the library
- Confidentiality and coping with law enforcement inquiries: guidelines for the library and its staff (PDF)
- State Privacy Laws regarding Library Records
- Intellectual freedom in the aftermath of terrorist attacks
Links to non-ALA sites have been provided because these sites may have information of interest. Neither the American Library Association nor the Office for Intellectual Freedom necessarily endorses the views expressed or the facts presented on these sites; and furthermore, ALA and OIF do not endorse any commercial products that may be advertised or available on these sites.