MCLA Community Standards and Policies
- MCLA Community StandardsIncludes official MCLA policies on free speech and assembly.
- MCLA Marketing ResourcesIncludes information and policies regarding official channels for posting and advertising on campus.
Resources for Activists
Student protesters in the North Adams State College quad, September 17, 1975. Photo by Steve Viera.
Note: Libraries are not qualified to provide legal advice, and when libraries provide access to information, that does not necessarily mean that they endorse it. Please apply those critical thinking skills (MCLA Values, #2) to these resources, which come from a variety of organizations.
- Activist HandbookBilled as "the Wikipedia for activists." Collectively created set of resources on topics including the right to protest, mental health in activism, impactful campaign strategies, and much more.
General "Know Your Rights"
- Know Your Rights: A Guide for Protesters (National Lawyers Guild)This pocket-sized know-your-rights booklet by the NLG is designed to be a practical resource for people dealing with law enforcement. It also includes information for noncitizens and minors. Updated June 2022.
- Know Your Rights: Protesters' Rights (ACLU)From the ACLU. Information for those organizing, attending, or filming protests.
- Legal Observers (National Lawyers Guild - Massachusetts Chapter)The National Lawyers Guild-Massachusetts Chapter provides Legal Observers to monitor police behavior at protests and actions that the Chapter supports. Their Mass Defense Committee staffs a hotline (617-433-8353) in case people are arrested or otherwise need legal support. They also have members available to assist individuals who are taken into custody.
- Surveillance Self-Defense: Attending a Protest (EFF)Guide to protecting your electronic devices and digital assets before, during, and after a protest. From the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
College-Campus Specific "Know Your Rights"
- Here’s what students need to know about protesting on campus right now (FIRE)From FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education). Published April 25, 2024
- Know Your Rights for Campus Protests (National Lawyers Guild)Overview of what to expect when protesting on a university campus, including assessing levels of risk, digital security considerations, and possible responses from administration, outside organizations, and campus security or local police.
- Speech on Campus (ACLU)Overview of constitutional rights and case law that apply to speech on college campuses.
Business & Company Research
- Business Searching Interface This link opens in a new window(MCLA login required) Look up detailed information on companies, industries, and markets. Much more information is available for publicly-traded companies than for private companies.
- Investigate: Action/Research on State ViolenceDatabase of companies linked to human rights violations. Maintained by the American Friends Service Committee.
- Responsibility ReportsFree database of corporate social responsibility reports. Search 20,122 responsibility reports (including sustainability reports, corporate responsibility reports, corporate social responsibility reports, and ESG reports) from 4,087 global companies.