This research project examined the beliefs and actions of US midwestern librarians concerning intellectual freedom and collection development. The results are presented in two complementary articles; this first article provides some background and the results pertaining to intellectual freedom, whereas the second article will focus on the results for collection development questions and conclude with a broader discussion. The data were obtained through an extensive survey with a 21.37% response rate. In general, high levels of support for intellectual freedom were found across most respondents and across multiple questions. Respondents with an MLS degree were more likely to be in alignment with ALA stances and to support intellectual freedom. Despite anecdotal suggestions that the political leaning of a community may influence support for intellectual freedom, that was not found in this survey. Finally, nearly 40% of respondents indicated tension between their personal beliefs and professional stances with regard to intellectual freedom.

中文翻译：

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中西部公共图书馆员关于知识自由和馆藏发展的重要因素：第1部分

该研究项目研究了美国中西部图书馆员关于知识自由和馆藏发展的信念和行动。结果在两篇补充文章中介绍；第一篇文章提供了有关知识自由的一些背景和结果，而第二篇文章将重点讨论馆藏开发问题的结果，并进行更广泛的讨论。数据是通过广泛调查获得的，答复率为21.37％。通常，在大多数受访者和多个问题中都发现了对知识自由的高度支持。具有MLS学位的受访者更有可能与ALA立场保持一致，并支持知识自由。尽管有传闻说社区的政治倾向可能会影响对知识自由的支持，但这项调查并未发现这一点。最后，将近40％的受访者表示，他们在知识自由方面的个人信念和专业立场之间存在紧张关系。