Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Similar to Censorship presentation
Similar to Censorship presentation (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (14)
Censorship presentation
- 2. Censorship /ˈsɛnsəʃɪp/ Trying to suppress expressions of thought or to change or restrict information (Britannica Library, n.d.).
- 3. Activity DISCUSS: WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION RESOURCES (E.G. BOOKS) MIGHT BE CENSORED? CAN YOU THINK OF ANY EXAMPLES THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN IN THE MEDIA OR ONLINE? BREAK OUT ROOMS FIVE MINUTES
- 4. Spoken or written words or images can be censored (Britannica Library, n.d.) BOOKS NEWSPAPERS PAINTINGS PHOTOS SPEECHES MOVIES TV SHOWS SONGS
- 5. Common types of censorship in libraries
- 6. Challenges A challenge is an official, written complaint made to the library asking for books, DVDs, or other materials to be removed from the library because of suitability or content (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014).
- 7. Restricting access Items can be restricted because: A member of the public asked (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014) Staff have restricted access (Oltmann, 2016) For legal reasons (Gidney, 2016)
- 8. Banning books Challenges can result in bans on books. A book or other item is banned when it is removed from the library (American Library Association, 2012).
- 9. Self-imposed restricting and banning of library items go against the principles of librarianship
- 10. IN A DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM IS PROTECTED BY THE UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO IDEAS AND INFORMATION (AUSTRALIAN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION ASSOCIATION, 2001).
- 11. Who is the most impacted by censorship in libraries? (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014) CHILDREN AND TWEENS 0-12 YOUNG ADULTS 13-18 ADULTS 19+
- 12. C HILD R E N AND TWE E NS Y OUNG AD ULTS and
- 13. IN 2019: 9/10 OF THE MOST CHALLENGED BOOKS WERE CHILDREN OR YOUNG ADULT TITLES (AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, 2013)
- 14. Activity DISCUSS: HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THE BOOKS LISTED? IF YES, TALK ABOUT 1 BOOK AND WHY YOU THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN CENSORED. IF NO, TALK ABOUT WHY YOU THINK BOOKS MIGHT BE CENSORED BREAK OUT ROOMS FIVE MINUTES
- 15. • Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey • Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher • And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell • Drama by Raina Telgemeier • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini • Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins • I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings and Jessica Herthel • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee • Bone series by Jeff Smith • Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin • The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas • Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (American Library Association, 2020)
- 17. Three main reasons why information is censored TO UPHOLD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS TO KEEP POLITICAL CONTROL TO MAINTAIN COMMUNITY VALUES (CASO, 2008)
- 18. In public libraries c h a l l e n g e s c a n h a p p e n b e c a u s e p e o p l e a r e c o n c e r n e d a b o u t y o u m a i n t a i n i n g y o u r i n n o c e n c e (Britannica Library, n.d.)
- 19. Top 4 reasons to censor books in libraries • SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT • OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE • UNSUITABLE FOR AGE GROUP • OTHER (FLETCHER-SPEAR & TYLER, 2014)
- 20. (American Library Association, n.d.-a)
- 21. Who might try to censor information?
- 22. Calls for the censorship of information can come from RELIGIOUS GROUPS GOVERNMENTS INDIVIDUALS (BRITANNICA LIBRARY, N.D.; CASO, 2008)
- 23. Governments The Classification Board censors movies, video games, and some publications (books and magazines). They decide what age movies and video games are suitable for by placing classification ratings on them. (Australian Classification, n.d.-a; Australian Classification, n.d.-b)
- 24. Governments The Classification Board bans books and magazines that they think are too graphic, violent, or encourage illegal activity. If a movie, video game, or publication has been rated 'Refused Classification' it cannot be imported or sold in Australia (Attorney-General's Department, Canberra, 2008).
- 25. Governments In some countries, books that present ideas that don't match the government's views can be destroyed, as seen in Germany in the 1930s (Caso, 2008). (World History Archive / Alamy Stock Photo)
- 26. Governments Or the internet can be censored so citizens can't view information from overseas (Fourie et al., 2014).
- 27. When it comes to libraries: attempts to censor information usually come from library users and parents (American Library Association, n.d. -b)
- 28. (American Library Association, n.d.-b)
- 29. Activity DISCUSS: IS ALL CENSORSHIP BAD? WHY/WHY NOT? BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS YOUR ANSWER WITH THE GROUP BREAK OUT ROOMS FIVE MINUTES
- 30. What about INCITING VIOLENCE? BURNING NEGATIVE PROPAGANDA?
- 31. Why should you care about censorship?
- 32. Intellectual freedom Your right to find any information that you want and to experience the unrestricted expression of thoughts and information (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014).
- 33. DIVERSITY AND EXPERIENCES You have a right to be represented in books Reading about diverse characters develops compassion, empathy, and understanding (Gaffney, 2017)
- 34. What will I do?
- 35. As your Children and Youth Librarian I WILL
- 36. Support your right to access books and resources that others might find controversial (Fletcher -Spear & Tyler, 2014).
- 37. Ensure that information comes from a variety of sources and covers current issues without encouraging or suppressing specific ideas or beliefs (Australian Library and Information Association, 2001).
- 38. Observe the law but advocate for change if the law stops you from freely accessing information (Australian Library and Information Association, 2001).
- 39. What can you do?
- 40. Talk about those books Read challenged or banned books Attend library programs about censorship and related issues (Hendrickson, 2014)
- 42. Thank you
- 43. References American Library Association. (2012). Banned books week (September 27-October 3, 2020). http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned American Library Association. (2013). Top 10 most challenged books lists. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/ top10 American Library Association. (2020). Top 100 most banned and challenged books: 2010-2019. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/ decade2019
- 44. References American Library Association. (n.d. -a). Reasons for challenges [Information card]. https://res.cloudinary.com/dq82ikfq4/image/upload/w_900,c_limit /v1587146142/ocnzhhbkmixfbvakhipw.jpg American Library Association. (n.d. -b). Who initiates challenges? [Information card]. https://res.cloudinary.com/dq82ikfq4/image/upload/w_900,c_limit /v1587306835/l216pe4rrewel2jdddej.jpg Attorney-General's Department, Canberra. (2008). Guidelines for the classification of publications 2005 . https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2008C00129
- 45. References Australian Classification. (n.d.-a). About us. https://www.classification.gov.au/about-us Australian Classification. (n.d.-b). How a rating is decided. https://www.classification.gov.au/classification-ratings/how- rating-decided Australian Library and Information Association. (2001). Free access to information statement . https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/documents/FreeAccess ToInformation_2015.pdf Britannica Library. (n.d.). Censorship. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from https://library.eb.com.au/levels/adults/article/censorship/273576
- 46. References Caso, F. (2008). Censorship. Facts on File. Fletcher-Spear, K., & Tyler, K. (2014). Intellectual freedom for teens: A practical guide for young adult and school librarians . American Library Association. Fourie, I., Bitso, C., & Bothma, T. J. D. (2014). Methods and resources to monitor internet censorship. Library Hi Tech, 32(4), 723-739. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT -11-2013-0156 Gaffney, L. M. (2017). Young adult literature, libraries, and conservative activism. Rowman & Littlefield.
- 47. References Gidney, K. (2016, August 24). Restricted! My journey into the dark archive. Behind the scenes. https://www.nla.gov.au/blogs/behind -the- scenes/2016/08/24/restricted Hendrickson, A. (2014, October 22). Being a teen in the fight against book censorship. The Hub. http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2014/10/22/being -a-teen-in- the-fight-against-book-censorship/ Oltmann, S. M. (2016). Public librarians' views on collection development and censorship. Collection Management, 41(1), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2015.1117998
Editor's Notes
- [Welcome and introduction] Today we will be learning about censorship in libraries!
- So, what is censorship? Censorship can be difficult to define (Duthie, 2010) but Britannica Library (n.d.) explain censorship as the act of trying to suppress expressions of thought or to change or restrict information. Can anyone tell me what it means by expression of thought? [Speaking or writing down what you’re thinking]
- It’s time for our first activity! You will be put into break rooms in groups of 4. I want you to talk about what types of information resources, for example books, might be censored and if you can think of any examples of censorship that you’ve heard about or seen in the media or online. I’ll put the discussion questions in the chat box so you can all see them. You have five minutes. [Visit each break out room to see how the discussion is going] [Adolescents prefer to interact with their classmates during educational activities (Caskey & Anfara, 2014). As this is a virtual presentation via Zoom, meeting in break out rooms is an sufficient alternative to physical interaction.]
- Welcome back! Spoken or written words or images can be censored (Britannica Library, n.d.). This includes books, newspapers, movies, TV shows, public speeches, photos, paintings and songs (Britannica Library, n.d.). Were there any sources of information that you talked about in your groups that I missed? [Have a discussion or make comments if any of the participants want to share]
- Let’s have a look at the common types of censorship that librarians have to deal with.
- A challenge is an official, written complaint made to the library asking for books, DVDs, or other materials to be removed from the library because of suitability or content (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014).
- Items can be restricted for a number of reasons including because a member of the public asked (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014). This can be an outcome expected by someone who challenges an item (American Library Association, 2012). Because a member of staff restricted access. One study showed that 15% of staff surveyed had felt pressure from other staff to remove or restrict items (Oltmann, 2016). For legal reasons. 156 items are in the restricted room at the National Library of Australia (Gidney, 2016). Most of those items are there because the publisher recalled the book as it was involved in a court case, or because they contain business secrets (Gidney, 2016). So instead of destroying the books, the National Library keep them away from the public (Gidney, 2016).
- Banning a book can be an outcome of a challenge. A book or other item is banned when it is removed from a library (American Library Association, 2012).
- Self-imposed restricting and banning of library items go against the principles of librarianship.
- The Australian Library and Information Association (2001) state that in a democracy, freedom is protected by the unrestricted access to ideas and information. That’s a pretty powerful statement. I want you to think about that as we move through the slides today.
- Who do you think is the most affected by censorship? Let’s take a vote. I’m going to put a poll up on the screen so you can all make a vote. [Use the poll function so participants can vote] And the answer is…
- Children and you guys! Young adults. In fact:
- 9 out of the 10 most challenged books in 2019 were children or young adult books (American Library Association, 2013).
- Time for another activity! Once again you will be put into break rooms in groups of 4. This time, I’m going to show you a list of challenged books. Take a look and see if you can see any that you’ve read. In your groups, you’re going to talk about one of the books that you’ve read on that list and why you think it might have been censored. What themes may people have found issue with? If you haven’t read any of the books then talk about why you think books, movies, songs or video games might be censored. I’ll put the discussion questions in the chat box so you can all see them. Let’s take a look at the list now. [Visit each break out room to see how the discussion is going]
- [Let participants look at the list for a couple of minutes.] Give me a thumbs up if you’re ready and I’ll put you in your break out rooms. [Visit each break out room to see how the discussion is going]
- Welcome back! Does anyone want to share their thoughts on why information is censored? [Have a discussion if any of the participants want to share] Ok, let’s find out why information might be censored!
- Generally speaking, there are three main reasons why information might be censored. They are to keep political control, to uphold religious beliefs, and to maintain community values (Caso, 2008).
- As public libraries are for the whole community to use, issues around censorship usually relate to maintaining values, which sometimes overlaps with upholding religious beliefs (Caso, 2008). Many challenges happen because people are concerned about you maintaining your innocence (Britannica Library, n.d.). We already saw that this concern leads to books for children and young adults being challenged, so let’s look at what people are concerned about.
- The top four reasons that people mention when they challenge a book include sexually explicit content, offensive language, the content is unsuitable for the age group, and ‘other’ (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014).
- These are potentially some of the ‘other’ reasons. This information comes from the United States. Do you think people complain about the same issues in Australia? [Have a discussion if any of the participants make comments]
- So, who is trying to censor what we read or watch or play?
- All over the world, calls for the censorship of information come from a number of entities including governments, religious groups, and individuals (Britannica Library, n.d.; Caso, 2008).
- In Australia, the government censors movies, video games, and some publications like certain books and magazines, through the Classification Board (Australian Classification, n.d.-a). The Board decides what age the movies and video games are suitable for by giving them the classification rating that you see on the front of DVD cases or when you look up what movies are playing at the cinema (Australia Classification, n.d.-b). Remember, restricting the age on a movie is an attempt to restrict access to it.
- The Classification Board also bans books and magazines that they decide are too graphic or that encourage illegal activity like inciting violence (Attorney-General's Department, Canberra, 2008). If a movie, video game, book, or magazine is rated ‘Refused Classification’ it is banned from Australia and cannot be imported or sold here (Attorney-General's Department, Canberra, 2008).
- In some countries, usually dictatorships, books that present ideas that don’t match the government’s views can be banned or destroyed, as seen in Germany in the 1930s when groups of people burned books (Caso, 2008).
- Or the internet can be censored so citizens can’t view information from overseas (Fourie et al., 2014).
- When speaking about libraries specifically, library users and parents are the main people that try to censor information in the form of challenging items (American Library Association, n.d.-b).
- These statistics are from the United States as well. 45% of challenges come from library users and 18% come from parents (American Library Association, n.d.-b). Is that surprising to you? Why/why not? [Have a discussion or make comments if someone shares]
- This is our final activity for the day. Same drill as before, I’ll put you into break rooms in groups of 4. This is a really interesting question that I want everyone to think and talk about. Is all censorship bad? Why/why not? Be prepared to discuss your answers with the group when we come back. There is no correct answer. Once again, I’ll put the discussion question in the chat box so you can all see it. See you in five minutes. [Visit each break out room to see how the discussion is going] Welcome back! Does anyone want to volunteer to share their thoughts? Remember, there’s no right or wrong answer! [Pick 2-3 people to talk if nobody volunteers] [Change the slide once the 2-3 people have finished]
- What an awesome discussion! I picked a couple of examples to talk about today. Again, there’s no right or wrong answer, these are just examples to get you thinking. A recent example of censorship on social media happened when Twitter banned Donald Trump’s account (Twitter Inc., 2021). Two days after his supports rioted and broke into the Capitol Building in Washington, D. C., Trump made two tweets that Twitter decided could incite further violence and so they permanently suspended his account (Twitter Inc., 2021). Another argument looks at book burning. Say we had been living under a dictatorship and that dictator was overthrown. Some people argue that burning books and other publications containing that dictator’s propaganda would be good for you and feel very freeing (Duthie, 2010).
- I’ve thrown a lot of information at you today and that’s all well and good but some of you might be thinking, so? Why should I care? Here’s why…
- Censoring books and other materials blocks your intellectual freedom. Intellectual freedom is your right to find any information that you want and to experience the unrestricted expression of thoughts and information (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler).
- Diversity in books is also impacted by censorship. Some authors believe that there is a link between young adult books that are censored and the diversity of the characters (Downey, 2017). This is an issue because you have a right, and a need, to be represented in books (Gaffney, 2017). If you’re a member of the LGBTQ community or a first generation Australian, seeing your experiences reflected in books can be affirming (Bishop, 1994, as cited in Lehman, 2018). Reading about diverse characters can help develop compassion, empathy, and an understanding of the experiences of other people (Gaffney, 2017).
- There are some things that I can do as an information professional to help fight censorship.
- Having ‘controversial’ items and resources in the library and supporting your right to access them is a priority for children and youth librarians (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014). As your local Children and Youth Librarian, I will:
- Support your right to access books and resources that others might find controversial (Fletcher-Spear & Tyler, 2014).
- Ensure that information comes from a variety of sources and covers current issues without encouraging or suppressing specific ideas or beliefs (Australian Library and Information Association, 2001).
- Observe the law but advocate for change if the law stops you from freely accessing information (Australian Library and Information Association, 2001).
- So now, what can you do?
- You can read challenged or banned books and talk about those books with others (Hendrickson, 2014). Talking about the content in censored books starts discussions about those issues, helping people understand and think critically about them (Hendrickson, 2014). And lastly, attend library programs about censorship and related issues.
- That’s about all from me today. Before we wrap up, does anyone have any questions or comments they’d like to make?
- [Thank you] I hope you all learned something new. If you take one thing away from this information session, I hope that you all know that the library is a safe space for you to come and find any information that you need.
- References American Library Association. (2012). Banned Books Week (September 27-October 3, 2020). http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned American Library Association. (2013). Top 10 most challenged books lists. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10 American Library Association. (n.d.-b). Who initiates challenges? [Information card]. https://res.cloudinary.com/dq82ikfq4/image/upload/w_900,c_limit/v1587306835/l216pe4rrewel2jdddej.jpg Attorney-General's Department, Canberra. (2008). Guidelines for the classification of publications 2005. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2008C00129 Australian Classification. (n.d.-a). About us. https://www.classification.gov.au/about-us Australian Classification. (n.d.-b). How a rating is decided. https://www.classification.gov.au/classification-ratings/how-rating-decided Australian Library and Information Association. (2001). Free access to information statement. https://www.alia.org.au/sites/default/files/documents/FreeAccessToInformation_2015.pdf Britannica Library. (n.d.). Censorship. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 15, 2021, from https://library.eb.com.au/levels/adults/article/censorship/273576 Caskey, M., & Anfara, V. A., Jr. (2014). Developmental characteristics of young adolescents: Research summary. Association for Middle Level Education. http://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet.aspx?ArtMID=888&ArticleID=455 Caso, F. (2008). Censorship. Facts on File. Downey, J. (2017). Public library collections in the balance: Censorship, inclusivity, and truth. Libraries Unlimited. Duthie, F. (2010). Libraries and the ethics of censorship. The Australian Library Journal, 59(3), 86-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2010.10735994 Fletcher-Spear, K., & Tyler, K. (2014). Intellectual freedom for teens: A practical guide for young adult and school librarians. American Library Association. Fourie, I., Bitso, C., & Bothma, T. J. D. (2014). Methods and resources to monitor internet censorship. Library Hi Tech, 32(4), 723-739. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-11-2013-0156 Gaffney, L. M. (2017). Young adult literature, libraries, and conservative activism. Rowman & Littlefield. Gidney, K. (2016, August 24). Restricted! My journey into the dark archive. Behind the scenes. https://www.nla.gov.au/blogs/behind-the-scenes/2016/08/24/restricted Hendrickson, A. (2014, October 22). Being a teen in the fight against book censorship. The Hub. http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2014/10/22/being-a-teen-in-the-fight-against-book-censorship/ Lehman, B. A. (2018). Reading multiculturally, globally, and critically in literacy education books as messengers for diversity. In D. A. Wooten, B. E. Cullinan & L. A. Lang (Eds.), Children's literature in the reading program: Engaging young readers in the 21st century (5th ed., pp. 3-20). The Guilford Press. Oltmann, S. M. (2016). Public librarians' views on collection development and censorship. Collection Management, 41(1), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2015.1117998 Twitter Inc. (2021, January 8). Permanent suspension of @realDonaldTrump. Blog. https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/suspension.html