Censorship

Professional development activity: Attend and document a webinar targeting services for young adults
Topic: Censorship

To explore the concern of censorship in school libraries, I watched the webinar Ask Me Anything about Censorship (Banned Books Week, 2019) by Kristin Pekoll, listed on American Library Association (ALA).  This webinar corresponded to the Banned Books Week to celebrate the freedom to read.  During the webinar, Kristin has introduced the history of Banned Books Week, as well as discussing censorship targeted materials, the difference between challenged and banned books, self-censorship and lastly how do librarians or anyone stand up for censorship (Banned Books Week, 2019).

Kristen explained very well that materials are often banned because of political, social, religious reasons and even personal bias.  Kristin also mentioned the censorship trend and Top 10 list of targeted diverse materials often highlighted the underserved communities populations such as LGBTQ+ and social issues like racism and Black Lives Matter.   According to the Washington Post, a new wave of book bans is to reduce the universe of knowledge available in schools and public libraries that can confront young people on topics like race and gender, which are at the heart of the country’s political and cultural struggles (Strauss, 2022).

From the webinar, I realized that there are different types of censorship:  Vandalizing pages, hiding and removing resources, requiring parental permission to access content and burning materials.  As a school librarian at an international school in Hong Kong, I feel lucky that I have not yet encountered any of the above situations.  I once had a parent who raised a concern about Dr. Seuss’ books in 2021 (Watts, & Asmelash, 2021) and was discussed with school administrators and some parents.

I found it very interesting that the Office of Intellectual Freedom revealed that most challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from inappropriate content or offensive language (ALA, 2016).  In reality, the majority of students are opposed to book bans in any form.  They argue that young people have the right to read uncensored versions of history and diverse books expose them to a diverse range of experiences and perspectives.  They also think controversial literature encourages them to think critically about the world, and that book bans are ineffective in the age of the internet (The Learning Network, 2022), which Kristin Pekoll emphasized many times in the webinar.

Most of the international school librarians in Hong Kong have more freedom or less censorship issues on racism or gender identity, even political reverence books.  Unfortunately, many political sensitive materials are advised to be removed in local schools (Associated Press, 2021).  I am becoming more aware that self-censorship is bubbling in wake of national security law among international schools.  At the end of the day, international schools still are regulated by Hong Kong Education Bureau, which their administrations have to comply with the Basic Law and  the national security law definitely.  The fear of reprisal from the school administrators can cause school librarians to avoid purchasing controversial books.

This activity has addressed the importance of combating censorship in school libraries.  To expand my knowledge of challenged and banned materials, I will get involved in Banned Book Week by reading and promoting banned books or showcasing the materials that encourage students and parents to read and discuss the materials.

References

American Library Association (ALA). (2016). Banned book FAQ. American Library Association.  https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned-books-qa

Associated Press. (2021, July 15). Self-censorship hits Hong Kong book fair in wake of national security law. The Guardian.  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/15/self-censorship-hits-hong-kong-book-fair-in-wake-of-national-security-law.

Banned Books Week. (2019, September 26). Ask me anything: Censorship [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5E-xVTVFRE

Strauss, V. (2022, February 10). This wave of book bans is different from earlier ones. The Washing Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/02/10/book-bans-maus-bluest-eye/.

The Learning Network. (2022, February 18). What students are saying about banning books from school libraries. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/learning/students-book-bans.html.

Watts, A., & Asmelash, L. (2021, March 3). 6 Dr. Seuss books won’t be published anymore because they portray people in ‘hurtful and wrong’ ways. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/02/us/dr-seuss-books-cease-publication-trnd/index.html.