“The Books Will Still Be in the Library”: Narrow Definitions of Censorship in the Discourse of Challengers

Knox, Emily J.M.

doi:10.1353/lib.2014.0020

Cited by 26 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…According to ALA’s (2017) Office of Intellectual Freedom, the top three reasons for book challenges are “sexually explicit” material, “offensive language,” and content “unsuited to any age group.” Whatever the reason, censorship has resulted in restricted access to particular books or the outright banning of books in classrooms and libraries. Such censorship has the effect of violating students’ intellectual freedom and right to read, and it is a manifestation of the power teachers and others exercise over young readers (Knox, 2014a). Unfortunately, the very books that are censored are often the ones young people want, and even need, to read (Alexie, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

Kimmel

Hartsfield

2018

Journal of Teacher Education

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Preemptive censorship occurs when educators avoid particular books because they dislike the ideas or values the books contain or fear the controversy the books may evoke. Although not as blatant as other forms of censorship, preemptive censorship has the unfortunate consequence of restricting children’s access to ideas and information. Moreover, preemptive censorship violates students’ intellectual freedom and right to read. In this study, we employ critical discourse analysis to examine discussions by preservice teachers and school librarians as they responded to a controversial children’s book. Our analysis of the discussions revealed that many preservice educators maintain a protective view of children, fear the negative reactions of parents, and would choose to engage in preemptive censorship rather than create controversy in their classrooms and schools. We conclude by recommending ways that teacher educators can support preservice teachers and school librarians in their efforts to promote the professional value of intellectual freedom.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

Kimmel

Hartsfield

2018

Journal of Teacher Education

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“…The authors noted that the librarian's role is to champion intellectual freedom, but in actual practice this can be difficult. Others have likewise suggested that librarians may not always uphold the strong ideals of intellectual freedom (Moody 2005;Knox 2014;Oltmann 2016).…”

Section: Intellectual Freedom and Collection Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Important Factors in Midwestern Public Librarians’ Views on Intellectual Freedom and Collection Development: Part 2

Oltmann¹

2019

The Library Quarterly

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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. I n 1972, Charles Busha published his seminal work investigating intellectual freedom and censorship in midwestern public libraries. He focused on the Midwest because of time and financial restraints and because "the Midwest has frequently been referred to as the heartland of the North American continent, both geographically and functionally" (Busha 1972, 287). He sampled 900 librarians in a variety of positions across five states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin), examining attitudes toward intellectual freedom, censorship, and authoritarianism. Busha's demographic variables included age, sex, size of community, position of the librarian, state, and educational attainment level. He reported that only 9% of librarians were "very definitely prointellectual [sic] freedom and anticensorship" (Busha 1972, 293). The mean intellectual freedom scores showed that most respondents were in agreement with the principles of the Library Bill of Rights (ALA 2018f). He found significant variation for the variables of educational attainment, size of community, sex, state, and librarian position. Finally, Busha found a relationship between librarians' attitudes

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“…Another major theme of the interviews concerned definitions of censorship and supporting intellectual freedom while also fulfilling the social responsibilities of the profession. Emily Knox (2014) has argued that there are broad and narrow definitions of censorship. Those who use narrow definitions often argue that only the government has the power to censor, whereas those who use broad definitions state that any entity has the power to censor.…”

Section: Definitions Of Censorshipmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Responsibility, Librarianship, and the ALA: The 2015 Banned Books Week Poster Controversy

Knox¹,

Oltmann²

2018

The Library Quarterly

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This article explores the recent controversy over the American Library Association's poster for Banned Books Week. In particular, this article connects the 2015 controversy to broader historical issues and tensions within American librarianship concerning social responsibilities. The researchers used a qualitative approach, conducting telephone interviews with 26 individuals. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed deductively. The interviews revealed deep continuing tensions regarding American librarianship's relationship to responsibilities. First, there is some dissatisfaction with the American Library Association and its Office for Intellectual Freedom. Second, there are competing conceptualizations of censorship and how to apply these differing meanings while remaining socially responsible. Third, there is uncertainty about how to appropriately act as an ally, within librarianship, to marginalized peoples. S pearheaded by Judith Krug in 1982, Banned Books Week (BBW) is a national annual campaign for awareness about censorship in the United States that is "celebrated" in libraries and bookstores across the country. BBW is cosponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), the American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Association of American Publishers, and the National Association of College Stores. It is also endorsed by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. Public, school, and academic libraries host read-ins, display banned and challenged books, and create displays. BBW is supported by the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), and proceeds from advertisement sales support the office. The ALA chooses a new theme each year and sells several products such as bookmarks, T-shirts, and mugs, although the main advertisement is large posters. The advertising themes have ranged from a flag to a robot pulling out his plug and saying, "Think for yourself and let others do the same," to pictures of books with the words "Forbidden" and "Banned" printed across the texts. Over the years, some campaigns have sold better than others, but none of the advertising was particularly controversial until 2015.

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“The Books Will Still Be in the Library”: Narrow Definitions of Censorship in the Discourse of Challengers

Cited by 26 publications

References 2 publications

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

“It Was . . . the Word ‘Scrotum’ on the First Page”: Educators’ Perspectives of Controversial Literature

Important Factors in Midwestern Public Librarians’ Views on Intellectual Freedom and Collection Development: Part 2

Social Responsibility, Librarianship, and the ALA: The 2015 Banned Books Week Poster Controversy

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