Definitions and distinctions
What is the difference between a challenge, banning and censorship?
From the American Library Association's website:
"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others."
In the news
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See also:
- Why book banning is back (Vox) The fight over books in schools is part of a much bigger struggle, revealing where conservatism is today.
- The Cruel Practice of Banning Books Behind Bars (Vera Institute) The examples here serve to demonstrate the expansive, arbitrary, and absurd ways in which prisons make materials inaccessible to people behind bars. Across the United States, agencies have issued an ever-evolving list of restrictions on what people in prison can read.
- "The Spread of Book Banning," New York Times, 31 July 2022 (Nexis Uni) "Book-banning attempts have grown in the U.S. over the past few years from relatively isolated battles to a broader effort aimed at works about sexual and racial identity. Alexandra Alter and Elizabeth Harris cover the publishing industry. I spoke to them about what’s behind this trend."
Common reasons for challenges
See Challenges by reasons, 1990-90, and Challenges by reasons, 2000-09
See also: Challenges by initiator, 1990-99, and Challenges by initiator, 2000-09
See also: Challenges by institution, 1990-99, and Challenges by institution, 2000-09
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BU's own...Howard Zinn
Censoring Howard Zinn: Former Indiana Gov. Tried to Remove "A People's History" from State Schools (from DemocracyNow.org)
Censorship or Selection?
...the librarian's dilemma
"...the selector's approach is positive, while that of the censor is negative ...the selector looks for values, for strengths, for virtues which will over shadow minor objections. For the censor, on the other hand, the important thing is to find reasons to reject the book..."
Asheim, L. (September 1953). Not censorship but selection. Wilson Library Bulletin. (provided online by ALA).
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"The librarian's responsibility is to identify interests and make judgments with the entire collection and the entire community in mind, not just that part of it with the largest constituency or the loudest voices or the most intimidating threats."
Asheim, L. (September 1953) Selection and Censorship: A Reappraisal.(provided online by ALA)