BE A CHALLENGE CHAMPION

Be a book defender or challenge champion!

Work together and find support! Align your library with other organisations that promote library values and stand as bastions of intellectual freedom. Talk with other libraries and organisations outside of the library. The media for example, have similar values about freedom of access to information and having an informed citizenry. Article III of the ALA's Library Bill of Rights states, "Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfilment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment." 

 

Unite Against Banned Books has compiled a toolkit which includes advice on contacting the media and elected officials. It's tailored to a US context, but the advice can be generically applied. View the PDF: Unite Against Banned Books Toolkit.

 

  • Know who makes policy decisions in the organisation and speak with them about issues happening in this field.
  • Familiarise yourself with those in your governance organisation who could advocate on behalf of libraries. 
  • Find out what organisations such as LIANZA, SLANZA and  Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa the National Library are doing to promote intellectual freedom and combating censorship. Stay in touch with updates from them.
  • Speak up for freedom of expression, freedom of access to information, and intellectual freedom in instances when you see it be challenged.
  • Market principles of intellectual freedom and freedom of access to information to your patrons in the library. Consider putting posters up at your service desks, or having a page on the library website.

Useful resources

Library statements on freedom of information:
IFLA Statement on Censorship:
American Library Association:
Example of policies:
Other resources:

Keep up-to-date

It's useful to know what material is commonly being challenged and why. ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom gives us the top three reasons why materials are challenged:

  1. the material was considered to be "sexually explicit".
  2. the material contained "offensive language".
  3. the materials were "unsuited to any age group".

Certain books tend to trend in the censorship scene. In 2023, the most challenged book is Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom releases the top ten most challenged books every year. While this data is specific to the US, cultural trends seen in the US tend to be reflected in Aotearoa/NZ. In late 2023, Australian authors Melissa Kang and Yumi Styles' book Welcome to Sex generated a lot of controversy and subsequent media attention due to it's depiction of sexual acts and it's target audience; teens aged 12-15, particularly after Australian publishing house Big W pulled the book from it's shelves after significant public backlash. 

 

Keep an eye out in the news or on social media for instances of book challenges in libraries as these are commonly reported on. While censorship attempts can come from any individual or group, and for any reason, some groups or individuals make more noise than others. For example, in 2015, the Christian group Family First successfully applied to have an R14 rating placed on Ted Dawe's book Into The River. Their ongoing campaign garnered a lot of media attention. See these examples below for instances of media coverage about censorship challenges in libraries:

 

Parents, library users split as controversial book 'Welcome to Sex' hits shelves in New Zealand in NZ Herald July 2023, and Controversial sex education book could be pulled from libraries in the Otago Daily Times.

 

Forbidden Fiction on Seven Sharp. The blurb reads "Why are they removing particular books from library shelves in America - and will NZ follow suit?"

 

'Awful and targeted': Librarians, teachers fear bitter culture wars reaching NZ in Stuff.co.nz.

 

Does book banning have the opposite effect? An interview with Dr Emma Smith on RNZ.

 

'Racist Propaganda': The undercover campaign to infiltrate school libraries on Stuff.co.nz.

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