Man's Right to Knowledge: Libraries and Columbia University's 1954 Cold War Bicentennial

Celebrating its 200th anniversary in 1954, Columbia University organized bicentennial symposia, publications, and ritual observances around the theme "Man's Right to Knowledge and the Free Use Thereof." While not part of the original bicentennial plan, libraries became emblematic of its message. As librarians strengthened their commitment to intellectual freedom, libraries throughout the United States and abroad hosted the Bicentennial Panel Exhibit documenting with quotations and illustrations the worldwide quest for knowledge. Using books, film, recordings, and discussion groups on the bicentennial theme, libraries at the height of the Cold War demonstrated their role in providing free access to information.