policy on intellectual freedom. It rejects censorship and "affirms the ethical imperative to provide unrestricted access to information and to guard against impediments to open inquiry." The Library Bill of Rights, together with the Freedom to Read Statement, was instrumental in librarians' defense of intellectual freedom in the McCarthy era and is still cited regularly in response to challenges of library materials. The Library Bill of Rights is an evolving document that has become more inclusive, expansive and firmer in its commitment to intellectual freedom since it was first adopted by ALA leadership in 1939. In 1961, for example, it was amended in support of civil rights, supporting the right to use a library regardless of "race, religion, national origins or political views." Its applicability to specific library issues has been codified by ALA leadership in a series of interpretations, including the reaffirmation of the right to privacy and confidentiality of library users (2002), linked to Article 12 of the UDHR (right to privacy). The ALA made a strong, explicit statement in support of human rights in 1991 with The Universal Right to Free Expression: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. This interpretation refers to specific human rights enumerated in the UDHR as "inalienable rights of every person, regardless of origin, age, background, or views": freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 18); freedom of opinion and expression (Article 19); and freedom to peaceful assembly and association (Article 20). The ALA also declared that it "is unswerving in its commitment to human rights and intellectual freedom," noting that "the two are inseparably linked and inextricably entwined." It also "rejects censorship in any form" and advocates for the free flow of information internationally. Other expressions of library philosophy linked to human rights The ALA's Code of Ethics, which establishes the obligations and professional responsibilities of librarians, refers to "a profession explicitly committed to intellectual freedom and the freedom of access to information." Included in its ethical guidelines for librarians are protection of library users' privacy and confidentiality, and resistance to "all efforts to censor library resources." Libraries: An American Value, adopted in 1999 and endorsed widely by ALA state chapters and divisions, communicated to the public the profession's commitment to assure free access to "books, ideas, resources and information." It includes pledges to defend the rights of people of all ages to use the library; to reflect diversity in