Has your library reported any challenges to collection holdings or access policies that were experienced in 2014? It’s not too late to contribute to the national picture for 2014 of how library staff responded to pressures to remove, restrict, relocate, or label library materials deemed objectionable, and how they dealt with other calls to change library access policies. The survey, which is conducted annually by the CLA Intellectual Freedom Advisory Committee, remains open until March 31, 2015.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far (9 contributing libraries in 4 provinces)
Altogether in 2014,
- 34 challenges have been reported to the survey,
- 31 to library holdings and
- 3 to intellectual freedom-related access policies.
Books and graphic novels were equally and most commonly represented among formats in the challenges to library titles, together with four DVDs, one audiobook, and one magazine.
The most frequent grounds for challenges were that materials
- were age inappropriate,
- were sexually explicit, violent,
- had a political viewpoint,
- or contained nudity.
Many other reasons were also given:
- anti-ethnicity/ethnic stereotyping/racism,
- genocide denial/hate speech,
- inaccuracy,
- insensitivity,
- racism,
- occult,
- Satanism,
- drugs/drug use,
- propaganda,
- outdated language,
- animal cruelty,
- profanity,
- dark adult content,
- and pornography.
To illustrate the perplexities in which library staff find themselves, one complaint in the 2014 survey was to the audiobook version of Daniel Smith’s Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety on the grounds of “dark adult content” and that the cover should include a warning label.
In another challenge, a professor in an academic institution wanted Music for elementary classroom teachers, by Charles Hoffer (2005), removed from the collection, on the grounds of outdated language, namely, a section in one chapter headed “The Mentally Retarded.” Almost all of the complainants wanted materials removed, but there were also a few calls for relocation or reclassification of items and 2 wanted warning labels put on items.
There were also 3 challenges to intellectual-freedom related library policies. In one case, unfiltered internet access was challenged, together with three related access policies: statement on electronic information resources access, statement on unattended children, and the CLA Internet Access Statement. In another library, three policies were also challenged that had to do with code of ethics, intellectual freedom, and unacceptable behaviour. In the third policy case, a patron challenged the library’s request for reconsideration form.
While the majority of challenged titles were retained by libraries, according to the 2014 survey, challenges to resources and access policies are never dismissed lightly by library staff. Extensive research is undertaken into each challenged item, and this is followed up by respectful communication with the complainant.
The challenged titles reported so far in the 2014 survey are as follows (some bibliographic details are subject to further verification):
- 3d Printing, by Kevin Roebuck
- The Armenian file: the myth of innocence exposed, by Kamuran Gurun
- The Armenian massacres in Ottoman Turkey: a disputed genocide, by Guenter Lewy
- An Armenian Source: Hovhannes Katchaznouni, by TuÌrkkaya AtaoÌv
- Battle Bunny, by Jon Scieszka
- Daniel Half Human and the good Nazi, by David Chotjewitz, translated by Doris Orgel
- Donovan’s Big Day, by Lesléa Newman
- Downloading Nancy (DVD)
- Gangsta (6 titles in graphic novel series), by Kohske
- I Don’t Like You at All, Big Brother!, Vampire Cheerleaders, and Oreimo (3 titles in graphic novel series), by Kouichi Kusano
- Lili se fait piéger sur Internet, by Dominique de Saint Mars
- Maxim Magazine
- Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety, by Daniel Smith (audiobook)
- Music for elementary classroom teachers, by Charles Hoffer (2005)
- The Nazi Occult, by Kenneth Hite
- Newlyweeds, directed by Shaka King (DVD)
- Nuts Sisters, Volume 2, by Lai, You-xian
- Our Petroleum Challenge: exploring Canada’s oil and gas industry, by Robert Bott; Petroleum Communication Foundation
- Sleeping Dogs All Around, by Sheree Fitch; illustrated by Michele Nidenoff
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib in English translation, by Gurbachan Singh Talib in consultation with Bhai Jodh Singh (1995)
- Summer Moon, by Jan DeLima
- Wake in Fright, by Image Entertainment, Drafthouse Films (DVD)
- The Wedding Pact (DVD)
Thanks to the library administrators who have already reported 2014 challenges to the CLA survey.
Please note the survey will remain open until March 31st, so you still have time to contribute to the national story of how library staff grappled last year with pressures to remove, reclassify, relocate, restrict or label materials deemed objectionable, and how they responded to other calls for changes to existing library access policies related to intellectual freedom.
Survey results for 2014 will be presented at the 2015 CLA annual conference in Ottawa and a final report and database will be posted to the CLA website during the summer.
Survey
February 22, 2015
Alvin M Schrader, Convenor
CLA Intellectual Freedom Advisory Committee
alvin.schrader@ualberta.ca
