… the legal position is fairly clear. Public libraries are not authorized [sic] to exer- cise a choice of the material they make available on the any grounds, other than those implicit in the idea of providing an efficient library service to the particular locality in which the library is situated – (O’Higgins, 1972, p.74).
O’Higgins continued that, [under the PLMA]
...any discretion not to display or make available to the public books or period- icals on political grounds, or because the local library authority disapproves of the moral or social tone of the works concerned, appears to be unlawful – (O’Higgins, 1972, p.74).
Professor O’Higgins analysis was clearly proved correct 14 years later!
In conclusion
Of course, there will be many in the library profession who believe that the choice of the councils involved in the NI case were correct, and that supporting the trade unions was an important societal duty. This reveals the nature of some of the ethical dilemmas at play in support- ing freedom of access to information and freedom of expression. As CILIP’s recently launched Intellectual Freedom policy states:
The right to intellectual freedom is a foundation of a strong and representa- tive democracy, and of a society in which everyone can contribute to, participate in and benefit from the intellectual, creative and cultural life of their community – (CILIP, 2024)
This is clearly an important statement for librarianship to make; however, one of the challenges of censorship in general, and perhaps even more so the censorship exacerbated by the so-called culture wars, is the tribal element of it. As a profession, we should never seek to be on the side of repression or even the wrong side of history, but equally, if material is legal and a patron wishes to access it, we must consider that request in good faith. Ultimately it must be recognised that “those who engage in censorship are always apparently altruistic – they invar- iably claim to be acting for the benefit of others” (Thompson, 1975, p.212). There is a strong chance that if your tribe is attempting the censorship, you may have some sympathy with it, and vice versa if it is being undertaken by the other side you will be vehemently opposed. As intellectual freedom is a human right, it is important to reflect on the old maxim that if you do not believe in human rights for those you dislike or despise, then you may not actually really believe in human rights at all.
As challenging as that is for most of us, it is an important consideration when we reflect on censorship matters in libraries. The fact that our profession exists to ser- vice society, and not our own egos, raises the stakes and makes our professional engagement with censorship one that we must always be reflective about, but also one that we need to understand mindful of the past, the present, and the future. With what seems like significant imme- diate pressures facing us, and potentially more on the horizon, we need to engage much more fully with our body of knowl- edge around these important issues. It is important to repeat the point that none of this is new, and we can and should learn from our professional predecessors who have navigated these stormy waters before us. IP
References
CILIP (2024) Intellectual Freedom Policy. Available from:
www.cilip.org.uk/generalintellectualfreedom
Curry, A. (1997). The Library Association Record and Cen- sorship: A Content Analysis. Libri. 47 (4). pp.214-233. O’ Higgins, P. (1972). Censorship in Britain. Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
Library Association Record, 88 (4), 1986, p.163. Malley, I. (1990) Censorship and libraries. The Library Association.
R v London Borough of Ealing and others ex parte Times Newspapers Ltd and others (1987) IRLR 129 Thompson, A.H. (1975). Censorship in Public Libraries in the United Kingdom during the Twentieth Century. Bowker.
Further Resources
CILIPS (2023) REVEAL: Reinforcing Ethics and Values for Effective Advocacy for Libraries. Available from:
www.cilips.
org.uk/reveal/.
Autumn 2025
INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 21
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