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Intellectual freedom is a core value of librarianship, but fighting to keep controversial materials on the shelves can sometimes feel like a lonely battle. And not all censorship controversies involve the public objecting to a book in the collection--libraries are venues for displays and meetings, and sometimes library staff themselves are tempted to preemptively censor a work. Those facing censorship challenges can find support and inspiration in this book, which compiles dozens of stories from library front lines. Edifying and enlightening, this collection * Tells the stories of librarians who withstood difficult circumstances to champion intellectual freedom * Touches on prickly issues such as age-appropriateness, some librarians' temptation to preemptively censor, sensitive cultural expressions, and criminality in the library * Presents case studies of defenses that were unsuccessful, so librarians facing similar challenges can learn from these defeats There are fewer situations more stressful in a librarian's professional life than being personally confronted with a demand to remove a book from the shelves or not knowing how to respond to other kinds of censorship challenges. Reading this book will help fortify and inform those in the fray.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Foreword(p. xi)
• Introduction(p. xvii)
• Part I Sometimes We're Our Own Worst Enemy: When Library Employees Are Censors(p. 1)
• Chapter 1 Where There Once Was None(p. 3)
• Chapter 2 Well-intentioned Censorship Is Still Censorship: The Challenge of Public Library Employees(p. 8)
• Chapter 3 If I Don't Buy It, They Won't Come(p. 14)
• Chapter 4 Mixed-Up Ethics(p. 19)
• Part II How Dare You Recommend This Book to a Child: Reading Levels and Sophisticated Topics(p. 21)
• Chapter 5 Clue-less in Portland(p. 23)
• Chapter 6 Vixens, Banditos, and Finding Common Ground(p. 25)
• Chapter 7 Long Live the King (Novels)!(p. 30)
• Chapter 8 Parent Concern about Classroom Usage Spills Over into School Library(p. 32)
• Chapter 9 The Princess Librarian: An Allegory(p. 35)
• Chapter 10 The Complexity and Challenges of Censorship in Public Schools: Overstepping Boundaries, Cultivating Compassionate Conversations(p. 39)
• Part III Not Only Boy Scouts Should Be Prepared: Building Strong Policies(p. 47)
• Chapter 11 I Owe It All to Madonna(p. 49)
• Chapter 12 The Battle to Include(p. 51)
• Chapter 13 Pornography and Erotica in the Academic Library(p. 57)
• Chapter 14 Reasonable Accommodation: Why Our Library Created Voluntary Kids Cards(p. 64)
• Part IV When the Tribe Has Spoken: Working with Native American Collections(p. 69)
• Chapter 15 Cultural Sensitivity or Censorship?(p. 71)
• Chapter 16 Developing the Public Library's Genealogy Euchee/Yuchi Collection(p. 75)
• Part V Conversation + Confrontation + Controversy = Combustion: Vocal Organization and Publicly Debated Challenges(p. 77)
• Chapter 17 32 Pages, 26 Sentences, 603 Words, and $500,000 Later: When School Boards Have Their Way(p. 79)
• Chapter 18 Respect of Fear(p. 86)
• Chapter 19 Sweet Movie(p. 91)
• Chapter 20 Censorship Avoided: Student Activism in a Texas School District(p. 97)
• Chapter 21 I Read It in the Paper(p. 104)
• Chapter 22 Uncle Bobby's Wedding(p. 108)
• Chapter 23 A Community Divided(p. 115)
• Chapter 24 The Author Visit That Should Have Been(p. 118)
• Chapter 25 One of Those Not So Hideous Stories of a Book Challenge(p. 124)
• Part VI Crime and Punishment: When Library Patrons Have Committed a Crime(p. 131)
• Chapter 26 A Serial Killer Visits the Library(p. 133)
• Chapter 27 Books, Bars, and Behavior: Censorship in Correctional Libraries(p. 137)
• Part VII Perhaps It Is Possible to Judge a Book by Its Cover: Displays(p. 143)
• Chapter 28 The Ghost of Halloween Past(p. 145)
• Chapter 29 The Neophyte in the New Age(p. 147)
• Chapter 30 Gay Books Display Brings Out High School Faculty Prejudice(p. 152)
• Chapter 31 Censorship Looms Over the Rainbow(p. 156)
• Discussion Questions(p. 159)
• Contributors(p. 163)
• Index(p. 169)

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Booklist Review

The editors have done an admirable job of collecting first-person accounts of challenges to library materials. Written by all types of librarians at all stages in their careers, these narratives offer several perspectives a former circulation clerk tells how a challenge to Madonna's Sex spurred her to get her MLS; several librarians talk about school boards getting what they want; and one librarian discusses what happened the day the police arrived with a search warrant to hunt down a serial killer, who was found to have used library resources. The stated goal of this anthology is to offer strength to librarians before and after a challenge. This goal is met by coverage of censorship by library employees, controversial topics challenged, patron privacy issues, selection policies, displays, etc. All of these brief essays were written for this volume, and although all are relevant to the reader, some are placed in sections that are not targeted to the topic, making it difficult to pick and choose. The book includes discussion questions and an annotated list of contributors. Whether looking for specific help with a situation or just wishing to read a general overview of censorship issues, librarians will find value in this volume.--Glantz, Shelley Copyright 2010 Booklist