Beyond Banned Books

September 1, 2019

Intellectual freedom, a guiding tenet of librarianship, requires librarians to stand against censorship of ideas and materials. Historically, censorship has been aimed at books, but according to Pekoll (American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom), services such as programs, displays, artwork, reading lists, databases, and social media posts are increasingly subjected to censorship attempts by patrons or special interest groups, and librarians and administrators must be prepared for challenges. Pekoll provides examples of actual obstacles, demonstrating that censorship attempts arise in all areas of the country, and discusses legal and constitutional arguments against these attempts. Most important, the author offers examples of policies libraries have developed to address attacks on these resources. Numerous appendixes interpret the Library Bill of Rights as it pertains to topics such as politics, information literacy, and inclusivity. VERDICT Readers will appreciate Pekoll's authoritative, clear discussion. Invaluable to anyone interested in resisting censorship attempts on all varieties of resources.--Lydia Olszak, Bosler Memorial Lib., Carlisle, PA

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