The EveryLibrary Institute is providing a 6-part webinar series on Government Speech Doctrine. The first webinar will examine The Evolving Perception of Libraries and Speech in U.S. History with speakers Paul T. Jaeger and Allison Jennings-Roche.
The relevance of the “government speech doctrine” to public libraries has recently been a source of consternation in librarianship and has sparked multiple legal battles across the United States. Public libraries have long supported free expression and universal access to diverse ideas, voices, and perspectives, and library collections have not, to date, been used to communicate government speech. There are clear distinctions between the places that courts have historically held as contexts for government speech and public libraries. Confusion over the concept of the government speech doctrine and its applications has hindered the response from librarians, library advocates, and even legislators. This webinar will detail the historical, legal, and cultural relationship among public libraries in the United States, government regulation of speech, and the government speech doctrine, encouraging viewers to think critically about these new challenges to the community roles of public libraries and how to respond successfully.
Speakers:
Paul T. Jaeger, PhD, JD, MLS., MEd, is a Professor, Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, and Co-Director of the Doctor of Information Science (DInfSci) program in the College of Information at the University of Maryland.
Allison Jennings-Roche, MA, MLIS is the Associate Director of Digital Initiatives & Collections at the University of Baltimore's Library & Archives and a Ph.D. candidate in Information Studies at the University of Maryland.
When
September 29, 2026 at 12:00pm - 1pm