Censorship
DeShea Jones
LSIS 5505-OL1
What is censorship?
• A change in the access status of material,
based on the content of the work and
made by a governing authority or its
representatives, including: exclusion,
restriction, removal, age/grade level
changes. (ALA 1996)
History of Censorship in Children’s
Materials
• Been around since children’s books
began
• During the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries the American curriculum in
schools was limited to family, church,
work, and country, all of the core
American values (Saykanic, 2000).
History of Censorship in Children’s
Materials Continued
• By the mid-twentieth century most school textbooks
ignored the topics that were not cookie cutter, like
immigration, unions, minorities, the role of women,
and the poor.
• With the curriculum pertaining to what the ruling
class thought was ideal complaints were very
uncommon.
• Many of the textbooks and other materials that
were used had a hidden agenda because the
materials were racist and sexist.
(Saykanic, 2000)
History of Censorship in Children’s
Materials Continued
• Fortunately, since that time, there has
been great progress made in the
materials that schools use.
Why do people censor?
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Religion
Morals
Language
Sexual Content
Racial Material
Political Substance
Philosophical basis
Based on their own personal viewpoint
(Saykanic, 2000)
Who Censors?
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Parents/Guardians/Families
Administrators
Communities
Librarians
Students
(Saykanic, 2000)
Challenged, Censored, and Banned Book
• Challenged- a book becomes a challenged book when
someone questions the content of the book. The book
then goes before a committee where they judge
whether the book should be kept on the shelves or
taken out of the library. The book usually stays in the
library until the decision is made.
• Censored- is “when someone alters or blacks out a
book’s words or visual images because they disapprove
of the message.”
• Banned- a book “that has been removed from a library
or classroom because an individual or committee
doesn’t think that patrons should have access to it.”
(Scales, 2007, 30)
8 Forms of Censorship
(1)The individual or group making the
selections can be one-sided, or biased
(2)Teachers or librarians exclude books
because they fear how the community
might react
(3)Pages or words might be altered
because of fear of the reactions
(4)Certain books can be excluded from
required book lists
8 Forms of Censorship
(5) Materials that are removed as a direct
result of pressure from the community
(6) An “authority” required that certain
books are to be left out of the collection
(7) The deliberate omission of materials to
ensure the collection has one viewpoint
(8) Funding can be reduced to limit the
amount that would be spent on
controversial materials
(Saykanic, 2000)
The Three S’s
Sexuality, Swearing, and Satan
• These are the three main reoccurring complaints about
books
• Sexual content objections of books can range from the
characters kissing, having sex, rape, and
homosexuality.
• The language can be curse words, but also just words
that they feel are indecent, like mentioning body parts.
• Satanism is a topic that many fundamentalist Christians
use, but it is not limited to just fundamentalists
Christians. If a book mentions wizards and witches
there is a high probability that it will be challenged.
(Saykanic, 2000)
1st Amendment Right
• Freedom of the press
• Librarians should protect their patrons’
“right to read” (Scales, 2007)
• Problem arises because do kids have the
same rights as adults?
• Contrary to what many believe students
do have First Amendment rights that have
been recognized in court.
Court Cases
• In the landmark case of Tinker vs. Des Moines
Independent Community School District (1969)
the Supreme Court ruled that students are
people and have First Amendment rights that
the state must respect.
• Board of Education vs. Pico (1982) found that
the school did not have the right to ban certain
books and that for students to use their First
Amendment rights the students must have the
right to receive ideas.
(Chmara, et al., 2004)
ALA Bill of Rights (Policies that relate to censorship)
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the
interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the
community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded
because of the origin, background, or views of those
contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all
points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should
not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal
disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their
responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
IV. Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups
concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free
access to ideas.
(Library bill,1996)
ALA Code of Ethics
• “In a political system grounded in an
informed citizenry, we are members of a
profession explicitly committed to
intellectual freedom and the freedom of
access to information. We have a special
obligation to ensure the free flow of
information and ideas to present and
future generations” (Code of ethics,
2008).
When should materials be restricted?
• The only reason that materials
should be restricted is if they
are obscene, include child
pornography, or are
detrimental to minors
(Whelan, 2009).
Selection vs. Censorship
Selection
Censorship
The right to choose certain books and
reject others for use with children on
the bases of literary quality and
knowledge of child development and
child psychology.
The removal, suppression, or
restricted circulation of literary,
artistic, or educational materials on
the grounds that they are morally or
otherwise objectionable.
Does not insist upon removing the
rejected books from the shelves for
everyone else.
Essential problem – individuals or
small groups of people want to decide
on the basis of their beliefs the books
that the general public may read.
Censors want to make moral
decisions for others.
Goal: To provide high quality, honest
works of literature for children – a
positive act.
Goal: To ban books or limit access to
them – a negative act.
Source: http://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/SLIS/510/censorship.doc
Self Censorship
• Most librarians claim they do not practice
censorship, but many do.
• It is difficult to document self-censorship
because librarians do not talk about it
• Recently the School Library Journal conducted
a survey to see how rampant self-censorship
truly is.
• The results showed that 70 percent of
respondents would avoid buying controversial
materials because they are afraid of how the
community might react.
(Whelan, 2009)
Self Censorship
Other reasons why librarians avoid certain titles:
• Reaction from administration (29 percent), the
community (29 percent), and students (25 percent).
• 23 percent of respondents said they do not
purchase certain books because of personal
opposition
• Almost half (49 percent) of respondents said they
had dealt with a book challenge.
• Once a librarian has gone through a challenge it is
difficult to keep it from affecting them in the future.
(Whelan, 2009)
More Examples of Censorship
• Librarians are also practicing censorship if they
move materials to a restricted section or apply a
ratings tag to books like movies have.
• In public libraries if a librarian moves materials from
the children’s section and places them in the adult
section that is also censorship.
• There are also excuses that librarians come up
with to avoid purchasing books, like saying there is
not enough money, they do not have enough shelf
space, it does not go with the curriculum, or they
do not have any of those types of student.
(Whelan, 2009)
Role of the School Librarian
• The idea of in loco parentis, or in place of
parent, makes it difficult for school librarians to
judge what their role and responsibilities are
exactly.
• The only part of in loco parentis that applies to
librarians is that they are liable for the safety
and health of the students that are in their
library.
• However, in loco parentis does not carry over to
censorship and selecting what students can
and cannot read.
(Whelan, 2009)
Role of the School Librarian Continued
• The role of the school librarian does not
involve being a filter for materials.
• Librarians serve too many children to
keep track of which children cannot check
out certain materials.
• The parent should be responsible for
telling the student what they can and
cannot check out and deal with the child if
they break the rules.
(Scales, 2009)
Role of the School Librarian Continued
• “A trained media specialist is expected to
choose a range of titles that best suits the
curriculum and meets the reading needs
of students-and that involves making
judgment calls” (Whelan, 2009)
• Librarians should base a material on the
reviews, its literary merit, the curriculum
of the school, and whether they believe
the students will gain something from the
book.
Strategies for dealing with censorship
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Know your parent agency and its rules.
Know your rights.
Know your readers’ rights.
Know the law of the parent organization.
Have a challenge policy/procedure in
place and know how to use it.
• Don’t worry – it happens to every library
• Don’t be defensive – listening is key.
Challenged Books Statistics
• Over the past nine years, American libraries
were faced with 4,312 challenges.
• 1,413 challenges due to “sexually explicit”
material;
• 1,125 challenges due to “offensive
language”;
• 897challenges due to material deemed
“unsuited to age group”;
• 514 challenges due to “violence”
• 344 challenges due to “homosexuality”
Top 10 Banned/Challenged Books:
2000-2009
1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter
Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Source: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm
Banned Books Week
• Held during the last week of September
(September 25−October 2, 2010)
• Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event
celebrating the freedom to read and the importance
of the First Amendment.
• Highlights the benefits of free and open access to
information while drawing attention to the harms of
censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted
bannings of books across the United States.
• The books featured during Banned Books Week
have been targets of attempted bannings.
Censorship Resources
• Freedom Forum
www.freedomforum.org
• National Council for Teachers of English
http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/
dontletitbecome
• ALA’s Banned and Challanged Books
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/ba
nned/index.cfm
Citations
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Censorship vs. Selection Handout. University of Kentucky,
http://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/SLIS/510/censorship.doc
Chmara, T., & Mach, D. (2004). Minors’ rights to receive information under the first
amendment. American Library Association,
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/ifissues/issuesrelatedlinks/minorsrights.cfm
Code of Ethics of the American Library Association. (2008). American Library
Association,
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/codeofethics/codeethics.cfm
Library bill of rights (1996). American Library Association,
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.c
fm
Saykanic, D. (2000). Censorship of library books in school media centers today.
Information Analysis; Opinion Papers. Retrieved October 20, 2010 through ERIC
database.
Scales, P. (2007). Ain’t that a shame. School Library Journal, 53(9), 30. Retrieved
October 20, 2010, from Library Literature and Information Science database.
Scales, P. (2009). Better safe than sorry. School Library Journal, 55(3), 22. Retrieved
October 20, 2010, from Library Literature and Information Science database.
Whelan, D. (2009). Dirty little secret. School Library Journal, 55(2), 27-30. Retrieved
October 20, 2010, from Library Literature and Information Science database.