As ULC libraries celebrate Canada Day and Independence Day, I am reflective on the rights and freedoms our two great nations hold dear. As leaders of public libraries, ULC members have been experiencing challenges to these very values. It is difficult to know where to begin when these hardships arise, but I know we can all take heart in the commitment ULC libraries have made to protect these foundations of democracy.

I am proud to share our newest Leadership Brief: Libraries as Cornerstones of Democracy accompanied by Frequently Asked Questions and Commonly Used Phrases: Talking about Democracy and Free Expression in Public Libraries. Both documents were written by the Democracy Advisory Group in response to concerns and needs expressed by our member libraries. As part of this release, we are also inviting all North American libraries, regardless of their ULC membership status, to sign on to the Declaration of Democracy.

If you haven’t already done so, I hope you’ll join the 100 libraries and other supporters of free expression as an inherent human right by signing the Declaration of Democracy, affirming our collective commitment to the library as a cultural placeholder for the full exercise of the freedom of expression. The Declaration provides a baseline for building policies and actions that preserve and protect democracy in our communities as we stand in solidarity with one another and against petitions for censorship that we recognize as attempts to marginalize the voices of equity-deserving groups.