Selection, as I see it, is a professional responsibility whereby the TL selects resources for the school library that meet the needs of the curriculum, the students and the whole school community. These selections are based on a selection criteria, and decisions to select the resource are made regardless of whether the selector believes the resource may incite controversy within the community that the library serves. The TL must have selection policy that is clear, strong and defensible to allow them the courage to make decisions that allow the community intellectual freedom.

The following quote offered in Module 2, Developing Collections, hits the nail on the head:

Selection … begins with a presumption in favor of liberty of thought; censorship, with a presumption in favor of thought control. Selection’s approach to the books is positive, seeking its value in the book as a book and in the book as a whole. Censorship’s approach is negative, seeking for vulnerable characteristics wherever they can be found – anywhere within the book, or even outside it. Selection seeks to protect the right of the reader to read; censorship seeks to protect – not the right – but the reader himself from the fancied effects of his reading. The selector has faith in the intelligence of the reader; the censor has faith only in his own. In other words, selection is democratic while censorship is authoritarian, and in our democracy we have traditionally tended to put our trust in the selector rather than in the censor (Asheim, 1953, p. 63).

Jenkinson (2002) suggests that selectors look at resources with an open mind – they are trying to see the positive value of the resource and how such a resource might meet the needs of the curriculum and the students. Whereas, censors see the resources with a negative lens and tries to find ways of excluding resources based on words, topics or themes that may exist. In many instances, this is done without consideration of context.

All of the above considered, the role of the TL is to avoid being timid and neutral, and encourage resource collection that allows the school community intellectual freedom and is as progressive as possible.

However, when considering the world wide web (WWW), our communities have constant and uncensored access to the whole world of information. I would question this level of self-selection autonomy in the school context, and argue that internet filtering is necessary on some level in a school context. With physical resources, we are able to offer literature and resources appropriate and educational for particular age groups and not for others. The internet and digital resourcing takes this selection criteria away if we are unable to filter the information being accessed. The power of media outlets to push their own agenda in this space (in particular, political agenda), and the algorithms that exist to propagate false information, is quite terrifying in my opinion. After watching The Social Dilemma in 2020, I was compelled to delete all of my social media for this reason. That said, I think it is of particular importance to educate everyone with access to devices, and not just young people, about the power of such intelligence. “Advancing technology is both our saviour and our doom” – Olaf, Frozen II.

Another example I would like to draw upon here is the sexually objectifying portrayals of women in the media, and young boys’ access to pornography. There is a large body of research that exists demonstrating that regular, everyday exposure to this content contributes to greater tolerance of sexual violence toward women, higher levels of body dissatisfaction, greater self-objectification, and greater support of sexist beliefs (Ward, 2016). In this context, I would question whether all of the information available on the WWW is, in fact, intellectual in it’s nature. Don’t get me wrong – being able to discuss these issues in a safe space, such as a classroom environment, is of the greatest importance. But there is a difference between intellectual content and just simply content. Questioning the purpose behind the creation of the content is a part of the selection process. Being able to filter what is available to students on the internet is extremely important policy in this context. Sexual and pornographic content is contributing to some of the biggest issues in our society, and filtering access to this type of information online is an important tool in the battle against sexual exploitation, violence against women and domestic violence, and human trafficking.

Therefore, as TL’s in a rapidly growing technological environment, making sure that the selection policy can address the issues above and allow for robust discussion amongst the school community, but still allow and encourage a filtering process that considers the appropriateness of what is available on the internet is paramount. Whilst I don’t personally see a “fine line” between selection and censorship (I believe them to be essentially opposites), I think there is merit in filtering on the internet whereby students can access information that is harmful, untrue and has the potential to incite violence and exploitation.

References