Challenged and
Banned Books in
the Library
SARA CALKINS
LIS 701
Challenged vs Banned
Challenge: an attempt to remove or restrict materials
based upon the objections of a person or group. Official
challenges are not only a person expressing an opposing
point of view toward the book, but also attempting to
remove the material from the curriculum or library,
restricting the access of others.
Ban: The removal of those materials from the library or
information center
Most challenges are unsuccessful, with most challenged
materials being retained in the curriculum or library. This is
most often due to the intervention of local librarians,
teachers, parents, students, and concerned citizens.
Definitions to Clarify Terminology Associated with
Challenges
Expression of Concern: an inquiry that has judgmental overtones.
Oral Complaint: an oral challenge to the presence and/or
appropriateness of the material in question.
Written Complaint: a formal, written complaint filed with the
institution, challenging the presence and/or appropriateness of
specific material.
Public Attack: a publicly disseminated statement challenging the
value of the material, presented to the media or others outside the
institutional organization in order to gain public support for action.
Censorship: a change in the access status of material, based on the
content of the work and made by a governing authority or its
representatives. Such changes include exclusion, restriction,
removal, or age/grade level changes.
The Who
The Why
Top three reasons cited for challenging
materials, as reported to the Office of
Intellectual Freedom:
1. the material was considered to be
"sexually explicit"
2. the material contained "offensive
language"
3. the material was "unsuited to age group
The Why
The Where
Most Banned Books of 2013
1.
Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey: Offensive language, unsuited for age group,
violence
2.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group,
violence
3.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie:
Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
4.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James: Nudity, language, religious viewpoint, sexually
explicit, unsuited to age group
5.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6.
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for A Girl by Tanya Lee Stone: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, nudity,
offensive language, sexually explicit
7.
Looking for Alaska by John Green: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, unsuited to
age group
8.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: drugs/alcohol/smoking,
homosexuality, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group
9.
Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya: Occult/Satanism, language, religious views, sexually
explicit
Young Adult and Childrens
Literature
Challenges are most
often motivated by a desire to
protect children from inappropriate content or
offensive language.
Librarians and library governing bodies cannot assume
the role of parents or the functions of parental authority in
the private relationship between parent and child.
Librarians and governing bodies should maintain
that only parents and guardians have the right and
the responsibility to determine their childrens
and only their childrensaccess to library
resources. Parents and guardians who do not want their
children to have access to specific library services,
materials, or facilities should so advise their children.
ALAs Access to Library Resources and Services for
Banning Classics
According to the Office for Intellectual Freedom, at least 46
of theRadcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the
20th Centuryhave been targeted for ban attempts,
including all of the top 9 books:
1.The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2.The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
3.The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4.To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5.The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
6.Ulysses, by James Joyce
7.Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8.The Lord of the Flies,by William Golding
9.1984, by George Orwell
Court Cases
Martin vs City of Struthers (1943)
Presidents Council District 25 vs Community School Board No. 25
(1972)
First to consider whether school board could remove books from library
Minarcini vs Strongsville (Ohio) City School District(1976)
right to distribute literature
Appeals court ruled against the school board, upholding the right to disseminate and
receive information
Hazelwood School District vs Kuhlmeier (1988)
The education of Nations youth is primarily the responsibility of parents, teachers, and
state and local school officials, and not of federal judges.
Action may be taken within the schools educational mission that might otherwise be
unconstitutional
Inspired local countermeasures
Banned Books Week
Last week of September
Highlights the dangers of censorship
Virtual Read Out
Reading of a challenged/banned book
Discussion of why a challenged/banned book is important to you
Firsthand account of a local challenge
Activities
Book discussions
Art and essay contests
Screenings of banned films
Mock trials
Displays
Works Cited
Access to Library Resources and Services for Minors. An
Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights, June 30, 1972. Accessed
November 30, 2014.http://
www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/access-li
brary-resources-for-minors
Doyle, Robert P.Banned Books 1996 Resource Guide. Chicago:
American Library Association, 1996.
Foerstel, Herbert N.Banned in the Usa: A Reference Guide to Book
Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. 2nd ed. Westport:
Greenwood Press, 2002.
Missing: Find a Banned Book. About Banned and Challenged Books.
Accessed November 30, 2014.http://www.ala.org/bbooks.
