INSIGHT
‘‘ School Libraries Group
Censorship concerns: The vulnerability of UK school libraries to book restriction
S
INCE facing a very public and acrimonious book challenge at my previous school 18 months ago (Simon James Green, Archdiocese of Southwark, for those inclined to research) I have spent a great deal of time thinking and learning about intellectual freedom in the school library. I remain saddened that so many key features of the book banning attempts currently sweeping across the US were also present in my own experience. The original complaint came from a far-right blog entirely unconnected to my school (it was in fact hosted in another country); the reasons for the banning mutated from concerns over the ‘lifestyle choice’ of the author, to ‘inappropriate’ content and then ‘blasphemy’; the language used by those seeking a ban was hyperbolic, often violent and designed to instil fear; quotes from the books were removed from their proper context; and a minority of loud angry voices succeeded in drowning out the quieter, more moderate majority. I see now that I was naïve to think that the UK was immune to such challenges, and in the intervening months I have witnessed fellow school librarians come to the same conclusion. As the Daily Mail asked: “Do You Know What’s in Your Child’s School Library?” (17 March 2023), and protests against Drag Queen story hours and LGBTQ+ inclusive resources for young readers shook public libraries, a palpable sense of concern developed within my profession. Many school librarians felt unprepared for this new landscape and looked about for help only to find that we had been caught on the back foot.
As CILIP members we are of course 28 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
bound by our professional ethics to advocate for ‘intellectual freedom, including freedom from censorship’, and the new, very welcome, CILIP guidance Managing safe and inclusive public library services explicitly tells us that “Where a librarian finds themselves asked to remove titles, for example by the governors of their school… they are encouraged to resist”.
However, having spoken to many school librarians, I know that it is sometimes difficult to put these ethics in to practice, however strongly held they may be. The lack of statutory guidance for school libraries and librarians means that many enter the profession with little experience or training; we are not always well paid or respected, robust policies are not always in place, and we may not feel secure enough in our positions to push back firmly against book challenges. In this context it is possible to see why, when faced with one, some may prefer to simply hide the offending book under their desk, or to avoid the issue entirely by refusing to stock books that they fear may prompt a complaint.
There is no immediate or easy solution to the problem of quiet self-censorship, but this year CILIP SLG and the SLA have worked together to produce a series of free webinars on various issues of censorship, including being legally aware, building and activating strong library policies and creating collection development policies with a focus on representation.
Alongside the webinars we released development resources which can be adapted to many different types of school and our free Intellectual Freedom in the School Library poster, which lists the many national and international
Alice Leggatt is a school librarian at a mixed comprehensive school in South West London. She is a member of the CILIP SLG committee and a recipient of the CILIP125 award. She has written and presented for CILIP SLG, CILIP SLG Scotland, the School Library Association, IFLA and Myatt & Co on issues of international freedom and censorship. @ADayInTheLib.
statements, laws and guidance related to the freedom to read. Encouragingly the sessions were fully booked (in fact we had to increase capacity), and we believe they have gone some way in empowering librarians to lead inclusive and welcoming spaces for all students. As difficult as the rise in censorship may be we must remember that gaps in collections can, in and of themselves, be an act of discrimination, and that denying or removing access to diverse books is an act of harm. Equality, diversity and inclusion cannot just be ideas that we pay lip service to, but rather they must be the golden threads that guide every aspect of our work. In my new school I was given a badge that reads “Libraries are for Everyone”. I wear it every day, and I mean it. Bonus book recommendation: I implore you to read Simon James Green’s new book, Boy Like Me – set in a secondary school during Section 28 and featuring one of the most lovably formidable librarians to ever grace the page! IP
October-November 2023
I remain saddened that so many key features of the book banning attempts currently sweeping across the US were also present in my own experience.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
