Watch “The Librarians”!
Exploring censorship and book bans: Entering a five year battle
The topic of book bans and censorship was initially never on my radar. I was aware of its significance to librarians and its impact in the library profession, but I never gave it as much focus as other topics. I thought that concerns on censorship were already getting the attention it needed and I didn’t need to address that focus book bans got through news segments and articles. After all, it was already a popular topic that I assumed a lot of other students would write about. What could I contribute in my reflection if I chose to tackle censorship and book bans? Turns out – a newfound respect for librarians and community members at the forefront of this four year fight (and counting!) for the basic freedom to read.
I want to give a big thank you to the TikTok algorithm for making this reflection on book bans possible. If not for liking the entertaining library skits that passed my feed from time to time, I never would’ve gotten introduced to the upcoming screenings of “The Librarians” documentary. A film that highlights the stories of librarians nationwide as they face intense censorship efforts and personal attacks amidst the rise of book bans by parents, community members, politicians, and organized groups. The stories told by librarians, students, and community members were all impactful. I recommend taking a look at upcoming screenings and seeing if any are happening near you. It’s a must watch film for sure! I think what shocked me most though were the comments and arguments made by parents apart of the pressure groups (like Moms for Liberty) as well as the right wing politicians. Quite a few of the comments had people in the theater shake their head in disapproval or chuckle out loud at the absurdity of the words.
The film came out at the start of the year in January, but I think it’s fitting that I found out about it during Banned Books Week. According to ALA’s 2024 Book Ban Data, there has been a recorded 821 attempts to censor library materials with those cases showing 2,452 unique titles being challenged. It’s a lot. Yet, those numbers have gone down from last year where 1,247 attempts were made with 4,240 unique title being targeted. If the numbers have been going down, why is there still a need to address this issue? Surprisingly (or not really), the fight is still going on – though book bans may not be the main concern anymore. Soft censorship is playing a larger role in this censorship battle where materials are being “excluded, removed, or limited before it is explicitly banned, out of fear of backlash” (Eugenios, 2024). New legislations are popping up that create punishments for people (in this case teachers and librarians) who want to keep these beautifully diverse books on the shelves.
I realize that my reflection may have turned into a long spiel, and for that I apologize. Regardless, I wanted to share my little adventure I took into the world of book bans and censorship. I did not expect to be this invested. It’s a long fight that is asking for people’s attention beyond Banned Books Week that has just passed. I hope this reflection inspired you to not only explore censorship a bit more but to also take an interest in of those topics that you have pushed to the side – you may be surprised to find what you discover.
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I saved so many links throughout this CYOA! So I’ll share some of my favorites that I didn’t get to mention. :3
Learn: I loved exploring the Banned Book Survival Guide (basically a LibGuide on banned books). There is so much to look into through links as well as a big focus on keeping yourself informed about community activism efforts and best practices to combat book bans (like well thought-out reconsideration forms).
Listen: NYPL and their Teen Voices Magazine that had a Freedom to Read Edition. I encourage you to just take a look at the art these teens have created and the stories behind them.
Save: Unite Against Book Bans website has a good amount of resources for professionals to use. I think their book resumes and action toolkit are great resources for librarians and community members to use for additional support.
References
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/soft-book-bans-censorship-lgbtq-race-rcna172855
https://comminfo.libguides.com/BannedBookSurvivalGuide_548_FL22/Home
https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/freedom-to-read
https://www.ala.org/bbooks/censorship-numbers
https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data
https://thelibrariansfilm.com/