Support the future of our nation’s libraries by donating to the Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) on Nov. 29 for #GivingTuesday.

#GivingTuesday is a social media-driven day of giving held in conjunction with the beginning of the holiday season and end of the year. This #GivingTuesday, you can support free and open access in libraries.

Intellectual freedom is a vital and prominent subject in today’s landscape, with campus free speech, librarian self-censorship, Internet filtering and book challenges making national headlines. It’s crucial that libraries receive the support they need, and the public remain updated on access issues. As part of the American Library Association, OIF offers resources, information, and confidential support to intellectual freedom fighters.

“For many people in our society, libraries are a refuge and sanctuary. Librarians are passionate defenders of patron privacy, inquiry, and access to information. The Office for Intellectual Freedom works closely with school, public, and academic librarians to help them deal with some surprisingly direct and sweeping challenges,” said OIF Director James LaRue. “A donation, even a small one, helps us give those front line librarians the support they need.”

Donors may visit ala.org/donate and designate a gift to OIF, specifically to benefit:

Banned Books Week: an initiative that celebrates readers’ rights and spotlights modern-day literary censorship

Gerald Hodges Fund: a fund that supports intellectual freedom issues and legal challenges to legislation such as the Children’s Internet Protection Act and the USA Patriot Act

Gifts of any size are welcome at ala.org/donate. Other donation opportunities include the Libraries Transform Campaign, Young Adult Library Services Association, and the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.

By giving to OIF and the American Library Association, donors are transforming lives through education and lifelong learning, as well as helping to advance information services and the profession of librarianship.

For more information regarding OIF, please visit ala.org/offices/oif.