Censorship Presentation Overview
Introduction to Censorship
Historic Background of Censorship
Reasons for Censorship
Reasons against Censorship
Overview of Materials Available
A History
1876–1939: ALA to Library Bill
of Rights
Three stages of censorship
 Populist-Elitist
 Neutrality-Advocacy
 Freedom-Censorship
Multiple Ways to Censor
Limited ALA involvement
World War I
 “One of the most reprehensible periods of U.S. library history,
inasmuch as public librarians put service to the state before
democratic principles—censoring German-language material and
pacifistic and antiwar literature.” -de la Peña McCook, 2004
1939–1969: Library Bill of Rights to
Intellectual Freedom Activism
 Martin v City of Struthers (1943): Freedom of
Speech applies to distribution and receipt of
information
 Causes of Censorship
 Nationalist political climate in pre-Cold War era
 Racial and ethnic prejudice
 1950’s see a shift from censoring the subversive to censoring the
obscene
 Creation of the IFC
 ALA’s stance on IF gains national recognition
 Freedom to Read Foundation
1953: The Perfect Storm
 February—April: Senator McCarthy calls for censorship in
overseas libraries
 May 2–3: Freedom to Read Statement is Written
 June 14: President Eisenhower speaks out against censorship
 June 20–21: IFC holds conference “Book Selection in Defense
of Freedom”
 June 22: ALA membership votes to adopt Freedom to Read
Statement
 June 25: ALA Council adopts resolution against censorship in
overseas libraries
 November: American Library Association Bulletin sends out
the “Intellectual Freedom Issue”
1966–1975: Some Overlap
 Political and social factors influencing
censorship
 Vietnam War
Civil Rights Movement, racial unrest
 Pressure for U.S. educational system to keep up with
the U.S.S.R.

110 censorship attempts reported in
public libraries
1975–2000: ???
1977: Prince George’s County, Maryland
The Coalition for Children takes on Our Bodies,
Ourselves
Proposed a bill that would make it illegal for juveniles
to check out books with sexual content
A search on Wilson Web for articles
from 1970–2000 turns up no articles
from the 70’s, only one from the 80’s,
16 from the 90’s, and 35 from the 00’s
The New Millenium
Homosexuality is just one of many
reasons people challenge or ban books
 Groton, CT, 2002: An exhibit at the public library showing
pictures of local families, including families with same sex
parents, prompted a local resident to take out an ad in the
local paper protesting the exhibit
Hillsborough County, FL, 2005: A public library YA
display celebrating Gay and Lesbian Pride Month put
together by a library school student eventually led
county commissioners to ban all events celebrating gay
pride in the county
Statements, Policies, and
Advocates
Library Bill of Rights
 Adopted in 1939
Statement on Labeling
 Adopted in 1951
 Defined labeling as a form of censorship
Freedom to Read Statement
 Adopted in 1953
 Affirms 7 propositions
Code of Ethics
 Section II reinforces the ALA’s commitment to Intellectual
Freedom
Statements, Policies, and
Advocates
Intellectual Freedom Committee
 Works in an advisory capacity for the OIF
 Under David K. Berninghausen, obtained permission to represent
ALA at hearings and to protest violations of the Library Bill of
Rights and also launched the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom
Office for Intellectual Freedom
 Established in 1967 with Mrs. Judith F. Krug as Director
 Responsible for implementing ALA IF policies
Intellectual Freedom Round Table
 Begun in 1973
 “serves as a channel of communications on intellectual freedom
matters” and “promotes a greater opportunity for involvement
among the members of the ALA in defense of intellectual
freedom” (ALA, 2007)
Censorship in Public
Libraries and Schools:
Reasons for Censorship
It’s not Pro-Censorship, it’s
Pro-Families
Pro-Values
Pro-Children
Censorship vs. Selection
 Government
 Pornography
 Government Documents
 Profanity
 Individual Groups
 Parents
 Religious Organizations
 Media
 Fox News vs. The Nation
 Libraries
 “R” rated movies
Why Censor?
 Tax Money
 Libraries are
community spaces
Protect Children
 Alternatives
Main Reasons Books are Censored
 Profanity
 Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
 Sexual Reference
 Forever by Judy Blume
 Sexual Preference
 And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell
 Defying Authority
 Matilda by Roald Dahl
Motivating Factors for Censorship
 Family Values
 Religious Views
 Political Views
“Bad is not for us to determine. Bad is what
you determine is bad. Bad is what you think is
bad for your child.” http://pabbis.org/
Guidelines for recognizing
“Bad” Books
www.pabbis.org
Age Appropriate
Good Taste
Educational Objectives
Relevance
Necessity
What to do??
http://www.pabbis.com/whattodo.html
 Give Up
 Switch Schools
 Monitor What your Child Reads
 Challenge the Use of the Book
 Change the System
How To Challenge a Book
 Talk to the library or school
 Present your objections
 Ask Questions
 Continue up the ladder
 Talk to other parents
System Changes
 Book Selection Process
Parents Notification
Family Friendly Standards for Public
Libraries
http://www.fflibraries.org/Public_Library_Standards.html
Internet Filtering Software
Minors Borrowing Records
Option to Limit Borrowing
Privileges
A Parent Preview Section
Local Community Decency
Standards.
Material Placement in the
Library.
Promotional Displays
Opposing Censorship
 American Library Association’s stance on
censorship
 Where censorship originates
 How can I receive help with challenges?
 Advocacy
Library Bill of Rights
III. “Libraries should challenge censorship
in the fulfillment of their responsibility to
provide information and enlightenment.”
Where do most challenges come
from?
Individuals
INDIVIDUAL
Institutions
INSTITUTION
HOW DO I GET HELP WITH
CHALLENGES?
KEY MESSAGES
 Libraries provide access to information
across a wide variety of economic,
political, and social views
 Libraries provide freedom to
information for all peoples.
 Parents are responsible for their
children!
ALA website also has information
for coping with challenges for:
 School librarians
 Young adult librarians
 Trustees and directors
COMMUNITY ADVOCACY
 Keep abreast of issues in legislature,
schools, and local government
PROFESSIONAL ADVOCACY
 Join ALA's IF Roundtable or Action
Network
 Make your libraries stance on censorship
part of the library's central mission
 Advocate your library as being a place for
FREEDOM!
Web Resources Provide Outlets for
Activism
National Coalition Against Censorship
 http://www.ncac.org/home.cfm
Kidspeak
 http://www.kidspeakonline.org/index.html
National Council of Teachers of English
 http://www.ncte.org/about/issues/censorship
An Overview of Materials Available
Three Place to Start
Google
 23 million hits
UT Library Catalog
741 Library of Congress Subject Headings
Library Literature and Information
Science Full Text
2,218 articles
23 million hits
Wikipedia
 First hit on google search “censorship”
 Main article 2,695 words
 Organized into Aspects of,
Implementation of, by Country, Media,
Other Types
 Links to articles on Censorship in 31
countries, 8 different types of media, 13
methods, and 2 TV channels (BBC and
MTV)
Wikipedia
 Within text of article, links to Watergate
scandal, media bias, Josef Stalin, Frank
Zappa, freedom of speech, obscenity
 Special links for banned books, films,
and music and for criticisms of Wikipedia
 Extensive “See Also” section - 51 related
topics
Wikipedia
 7 citations and notes to the article
 14 outside print resources for general
information
 14 outside websites
Outside Text Resources
Battle of the Books: Literary Censorship
in the Public Schools, 1950-1985 by Lee
Burress
Intellectual Freedom and Censorship: An
Annotated Bibliography by Frank
Hoffmann
Outside Online Resources
The National Coalition Against Censorship
 www.ncac.org
Banned Magazine: The Journal of
Censorship and Secrecy
www.bannedmagazine.com
Link to 1990 audio interview with
William Noble, author of Bookbanning in
America
 http://wiredforbooks.org/williamnoble/
741 Library of Congress Subject Headings
9 Related Subjects
 Anticensorship Activists
 Book Burning
 Challenged Books
 Expurgated Books
 Freedom of the Press
 Intellectual Freedom
 Prohibited BooksPrior Restraint
 Libraries—Censorship
Libraries -- Censorship
 24 Sub-Subject Headings,
 Specific States
 Histories
 Manuals
 Case Studies
Total of 92 items in UT Library System
43 items in “Libraries—Censorship”
alone
UT Library Resources
 Banned in the USA: A Reference Guide to Book
Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries by
Herbert N. Foerstel
 Forbidden Books in American Public Libraries,
1876-1935: A study in Cultural Change by
Evelyn Geller
 Censorship & Intellectual Freedom: Public
Libraries Prepare (video)
UT Library Resources
 Ambition, Discrimination, and Censorship in
Libraries by Jefferson P. Selth
 Libraries, Access, and Intellectual Freedom:
Developing Policies for Public and Academic
Libraries by Barbara M. Jones
 Intellectual Freedom Manual, Seventh Edition by
the Office for Intellectual Freedom, ALA
2,218 articles
Subjects
 Censorship in almost every state and
many countries (Cuba, Finland, Kenya)
 Also focuses on video recordings, state
libraries, school libraries, religious
libraries, handbooks and manuals, prison
libraries
Subjects
 Censorship - 391 items
 Censorship/Public Libraries - 224 items
 Censorship/Bibliography - 66 items
 Censorship/History - 63 items
 Censorship/Case Studies - 12 items
Electronic Resources
“It May Be Legal but It’s Not Right” by Ann
K. Symons
“Banned in the USA: Censorship in Public
Libraries in the 1990s” by Michael Packard
“Don’t Defend That Book” by Doug
Johnson
Electronic Resources
 “Selection and Censorship” by
Bonnie Osif
 “Banned and Challenged Books in
Texas Public Schools, 2005-2006” by
the ACLU of Texas
www.ala.org
 Section of website devoted to the Office
of Intellectual Freedom
 Blog, Organizations, References, What
You Can Do pages
 Publishes Newsletter on Intellectual
Freedom
 Links about Banned Books Week, issues,
support, and for young people
www.ncac.org
National Coalition Against Censorship
Pages for censorship in art, media,
literature, science, internet, education,
and entertainment
Publishes NCAC Censorship News
Links to issues (libraries, sex education,
government secrecy); projects (Arts
Advocacy, Science and Censorship);
resources (DVDs, events, publications)
Pro-Censorship
SafeLibraries.org
www.safelibraries.org
Parents Against Bad Books In Schools
www.pabbis.com
Family Friendly Libraries
www.fflibraries.org
Questions, Comments,
Concerns?
Banned Books Week Commercial