All Access. New Challenges Are Coming

by Chad Heck, August 2021

Banning books for political reasons is nothing new. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, for example, is frequently challenged for being anti-police and has been on the ALA's "Top 10 Most Challenged Books" list since its release in 2017. Books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes have been challenged for quite some time as well. A new theme that is emerging in book challenges goes further than just politics and sexuality. Now, books are being challenged on the very basis that they are diverse: think critical race theory or diversity, equity, and inclusion as the basis of a challenge. We are in a whole new world of challenges now, and as librarians, we need to be prepared.

Principle II of the ALA Code of Ethics reads, "We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources." Right now, special interest groups are mobilizing across the country to show up to school board meetings and to advocate for legislation banning books from school and classroom libraries.

In my state of Indiana, we are currently facing battles on all fronts. During the last state legislative session, an advocacy group pushed for a bill that would have charged teachers and librarians with a felony for having books in their collection deemed "harmful to minors." Some of the books that this group used as examples were on state and national book awards lists. The punishment for making these books available, had this bill been enacted, would have been six months to two and a half years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. While similar bills had been introduced in prior legislative sessions, they had never received a hearing. What made Senate Bill 288 different is that it not only received a hearing, it also passed out of committee. Thankfully, the Republican caucus killed the bill and it never made it to the Senate floor.

When this very dangerous bill received a hearing every single parent who testified was speaking in support of the bill. As school librarians, we need to not only keep our parents educated on the importance of intellectual freedom issues, but we also need to be prepared to motivate them to testify at these hearings. Parents' voices ring strongly with legislators and when the message is solely in one direction, that makes a difference. For this particular bill, principals and school boards were represented at the hearings and spoke against the bill, but teachers were not. We must make sure that our teachers' unions are not only knowledgeable about bills that impact intellectual freedom, but also prioritize them and call members to action. School funding is important, but so too is not facing a felony for letting a student check out a copy of Dumplin', a superb YA book by Julie Murphy that was on the list of "harmful" books.

These issues impact teachers as well. Many of the latest challenges go beyond the school library and parents are encouraged to look for books in classroom libraries or as part of class readings. In Central Indiana, parents have been mobilized by the same group that pushed SB288 to take the fight to school boards. Their focus began with books regarding gender identity, but has since expanded into anything perceived as connected to critical race theory or social-emotional learning.

While my experience has centered around Indiana, this is a nationwide issue. Librarians need to be prepared for further attacks on intellectual freedom in our school spaces. A first step of preparation is to make sure that you have a collection development policy in place. Review procedures for challenges. Make sure that policies are board adopted. Second, educate building administrators about the policies. Much of the time, these things are not on the radar of the principal until something happens. Kneejerk reactions are much less likely to happen if the principal knows the policy and the underlying reasons for why we want to protect intellectual freedom in our educational spaces.

For the intellectual freedom fighters among us, moving our advocacy beyond the school is essential. Our library ethics compel us "to resist all efforts to censor library resources." Be prepared to testify or to support parents or others to testify at legislative hearings about legislation that would abridge the First Amendment rights of library users. Carry the message to everyone who would be impacted by such legislation, including teachers, administrators, parents, and students. Create coalitions with others including organizations focused on civil liberty and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We, as librarians, have always been champions of intellectual freedom. We must continue to prioritize that fight and prepare for the coming challenges. We must fulfill the obligations presented to us in our code of ethics and be ready to defend access to information in our schools and libraries.