Sonoma County Library offers innovative library programming, robust collections, and responsive services through equitable access to information, technology, connectivity and opportunities to contribute, interact, and participate.

Sonoma County Library Values

• Equity: Fostering justice and inclusion within our community
• Curiosity: Cultivating new perspectives and possibilities with the community
• Creativity: Valuing original ideas and approaches to support community aspirations
• Compassion: Embodying kindness and respect for the lived experiences within our community
• Trustworthiness: Bringing reliability, accountability, and transparency to the community

Intellectual Freedom at the Library

Sonoma County Library is committed to protecting and defending intellectual freedom across our collections, programs, and spaces.

Libraries are facing increasing intellectual freedom challenges on a wide range of issues, not only with physical materials like books and movies, but also with programs, e-content, Internet access, room bookings, and exhibits. Intellectual freedom challenges can limit access to information, suppress civic engagement, and silence voices, especially those of more marginalized communities. These challenges are coming from all sides of the political and social spectrum.

This library staff are defenders of intellectual freedom every day of the year. They support the First Amendment right of every patron to seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. They believe that access to a wide variety of ideas, information, opinions, perspectives, and stories helps create a more informed, empathetic, and curious community.

Member of the Book Sanctuary Movement

The Library is a memger of the Book Sanctuary movement, declaring all spaces as Book Sanctuaries. A Book Sanctuary is a physical or digital space that actively protects the freedom to read. Simply put, whether in the libraries or online, they are a safe space for all stories and ideas.

Launched by Chicago Public Library in 2022, the Book Sanctuary initiative brings attention to challenged titles and commits to making these books accessible.

In 2024, the Sonoma County Library Commission passed a resolution declaring the library as a Book Sanctuary. This resolution reaffirms the library’s support of intellectual freedom and opposition to book bans in any form. Join them in celebrating the freedom to read!

What Is Intellectual Freedom?

Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause, or movement may be explored. (American Library Association).

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