Self-censorship in school libraries

Abstract

What are school librarians’ attitudes and experiences around censorship and self-censorship (librarians censoring their own collection)? My research, carried out as part of my Open Polytechnic research paper, found that although librarians disagree with the idea of censorship, they nevertheless censor their collections in a variety of ways. The reasons, which relate mostly to age appropriateness and concerning violent or suicidal themes, raise many ethical questions for the profession. The need for training in this area was also emphasised by the participants, specifically ways in which to identify personal bias, and to ensure this is not driving selection decisions.