Censorship in information services – Professional development
As an information professional, working with children and
youth can be highly rewarding especially in noticing their growth and maturing
into independent adults when given access to the services and resources that
are best suited to their needs. For this activity, I have chosen to read an
academic research paper by Sachdeva et al. (2023) that explores the real-world consequences
of censorship relating to these groups. The authors have investigated the
anecdotal experiences of several American school librarians managing censorship
in their libraries and have explored the implications of this by discussing how
legislation, library policies, socioeconomic and cultural diversity in
communities impacts the variety of resources made available to children and
youth.
Censorship is the act of minimising or removing access to
information “because it is considered to be offensive or harmful” (Cambridge
Dictionary, n.d.) and may be done when seeking to prevent specific audiences
from engaging with said information. In the context of library and information
services, this may be appear in the form of community members challenging books
based on their content and appropriateness for specific recommended audiences,
potentially resulting banning, or government and professional organisation mandates that legally
require the removal of items from library spaces.
Self-censorship is another significant issue discussed in the
text and occurs when staff allow their concerns about book challenges, judgment
of character or general controversy influence their decision-making while still
ensuring there is fair and equal access to diverse resources without implementing
barriers to retrieving these materials (Downey, 2017). This practice
contradicts the role of the librarian and by extension the library itself in
being a gateway to knowledge through the provision of resources containing
diverse themes and knowledge for personal and cultural development of the
community (IFLA-UNESCO, 2022).
As this paper discusses matters involving how children and
youth access information, it is a suitable tool towards my professional
development in reflecting the experiences of school librarians and the current
social, cultural and political events that are affecting the creation,
distribution and access to information in a different country (Sachdeva et al.,
2023). Whilst not entirely transferable to my experience in the public library
sector, it does offer an insight to the challenges faced by school librarians
and coincidently how collections are developed and managed to balance the library’s objectives, goals and specific audience needs.
Given the complexity of providing children and youth access
to information through various media and understanding their contents, it could
be beneficial for public librarians to build rapport with school librarians. In
doing so, each group would have the opportunity to discuss their own
understanding about the needs of these demographics, and where additional
support for information resources could be offered. As censorship can be a
murky landscape due to age-appropriateness of information (concerns about complex
or distressing themes, LGBTQIA+ characters, etc.), it could be possible to
enquire with school librarians to gather data about the school community and
library collection, similarly to that conducted by Slungaard Mumma (2024).
Although rather than conducting this independently, it would be more beneficial
to the greater industry if open communication is encouraged between the groups,
so that public libraries can offer additional pathways to accessing otherwise
“sensitive” materials and through formats outside of the school setting (within reason
for children, youth and their families).
References
Amy G. (2015). IMG_0393
[Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/apple_pathways/16335234728/in/photostream/
Cambridge Dictionary.
(n.d.). Censorship. In CambridgeDictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved
March 8, 2026, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/censorship
Downey, J. (with LaRue,
J.). (2017). Public library collections in the balance : Censorship,
inclusivity, and truth (1st ed.). Bloomsbury. (Original work published 2017).
IFLA-UNESCO. (2022). The
IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto 2022 [PDF]. https://www.ifla.org/public-library-manifesto/
Sachdeva, D. E., Kimmel,
S. C., & Chérres, J. S. (2023). “It’s bigger than just a book challenge”: A
collective case study of educators’ experiences with censorship. Teachers
College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 125(6),
30-59. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1177/01614681231184515
Slungaard Mumma, K.
(2024). Politics and Children’s Books: Evidence From School Library
Collections. American Educational Research Journal, 61(5),
883-914. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.3102/00028312241248512
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