Sneaky Censorship

Sometimes censorship arrives through an anonymous whisper instead of an angry outburst. Unlike soft or self-censorship, which usually refers to a librarian’s actions to remove, limit, or not purchase potentially controversial materials, this type of censorship is practiced predominantly by patrons. In these cases, individuals do not officially voice a complaint about a material or request its removal; instead, they hide or mis-shelve items they disagree with, rearrange displays, damage or destroy materials, or check items out so that certain titles cannot be used by others.  No perfect name exists for these practices, but examples abound, reminding us to stay aware, note patterns, and take action to protect access to materials for all.   Hidden Materials Items can be hidden in unusual spaces or inappropriate locations.  We have found books about evolution underneath the video game shelves.  New children’s titles on LGBTQ+ topics were once moved to the shelves in the…
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