Our freedom to read should never be taken for granted. We are so incredibly lucky to be able to comb through materials that span a wide spectrum of knowledge and caters to all imaginative paths and ideas, including topics which some individuals or groups may find offensive. However, even in Canada—a free country by the world’s standards—books and magazines have been banned at the border, and libraries are regularly asked to remove items from their shelves. This is why Canadian champions for intellectual freedoms, like library workers and teachers, share a united message for a week every February to celebrate our Freedom to Read. This week is intended to spark conversations about our right to read, watch, or play without the constraints of censorship.
Protect your Right to Read!
One of the ways the Wood Buffalo Regional Library advocates for intellectual freedom each year is by creating a Freedom to Read display that showcases the banned or challenged items from Canada and the United States that we have within our collection. This encourages our patrons to protect their right to access materials and begins important conversations about censorship. We are hoping this call to action may allow our patrons to imagine our shelves without some of their favourite texts like Captain Underpants, Flamer, or The Handmaid’s Tale.
But Why are My Favorite Titles on Display?
You may be surprised to visit the library and to see your favourite book displayed with those that have been banned or challenged. Books can be challenged for a variety of reasons, but the underlying reason is usually lined with good intentions, to protect others, frequently children, from ideas or information. However, censorship efforts can be subtle, and challenges can be rooted in fear of new ideas or perspectives. This is why libraries, including our very own, maintain that parents/guardians, and only parents/guardians, have the right and the responsibility to restrict access to library resources to their own children/wards.
How does the WBRL decide what is included, or excluded from the collection?
WBRL endorses the Canadian Federation of Library Associations’ Statement on Intellectual Freedom and Libraries. This means that we aim to acquire a wide range of materials that represents various points of views, including materials that may be considered controversial or offensive to some individuals. What items we select are not made on the basis of anticipated approval or disapproval, but solely on the merits of the work in relation to developing our collections and serving the public.
Libraries do not advocate for the ideas and opinions found in our collections. While WBRL employees may assist patrons, the ultimate right and responsibility for the choice and use of library materials rests with the individual. We do not prevent any users from accessing and borrowing materials. Responsibility for a child’s selection and use of library materials rests with the parent(s) and/or guardian(s). No materials will be excluded from our collection because they may come into the possession of a child.
If one of our patrons wishes to challenge one an item in our collection, we provide a Request for Reconsideration form on our website. In the form, our patrons have a few important fields that must be filled out like if they read/watched/listened to the item in its entirety and what the result of experiencing this item may be. This information gets reviewed by our Director, with support from appropriate staff, like our Collection Development Librarian, to determine whether the item follows the criteria laid out in our Collection Management policy.
Our Director has one month to send a written response to the patron that explains the reason for the decision on whether to retain the material or not. If the patron is not satisfied, they are welcome to appeal the decision with our Board within 7 days. If our Board is planning on addressing the appeal at an upcoming board meeting, the patron will be notified of where and when the meeting will be held so that patron can prepare a presentation to the Board stating their case. As noted in the Board Meeting Policy, the board reserves the right to limit the length of public presentations—so there will be no filibusters here! In the end, the board has the final say on the appeal.
Explaining Freedom to Read Week to Children
We often have our young readers asking what Freedom to Read week is after seeing our displays. Seeing their favourite stories being challenged can be a jarring experience for kids. My favourite way to explain it, both to them and their caregivers, is to help them understand that some people want to remove books or other items from libraries because they don’t agree with the ideas or characters.
I do this with a true example from Toronto Public Library; Hop on Pop by Dr. Suess was challenged in 2014 there because a patron claimed it encouraged violence against fathers. Not only did the patron want it removed, but they also requested that the library issue a formal apology to all fathers and to ‘pay for damages resulting from the book’.
Then I ask the child, and caregivers, if they think that, because of that complaint, they should be able to read this book. Almost every conversation goes the same way; the child looks at me with a mixture of anger and confusion and tells me that they should be able to read the book. Some even add, in wonderfully colourful kid language, how silly they think the complaint is.
That’s when I get to tell them that Freedom to Read Week is our time as Canadians to be grateful for this right to access materials that someone else may say are not good for us to read. They then get to explore the posters of other famous and loved books that could have been removed from our shelves if we did not have this commitment to Intellectual Freedom.
Here are a few picture book titles that could also help to explain the act of banning books:
Books about banning books!
Celebrate with Us
Libraries aren’t here to instruct people on what to read, we are here to provide folks with as many options to satisfy their curiosity as we possibly can. It’s up to you, or your parents, if you’re a bookworm in training, to decide if it’s the right book for you. If it isn’t? Simply set it aside. Remember, that book may have been a small blip in your radar, but to another person, it may be the reason they feel a little less alone in this world of ours. Maybe it’s even the reason they keep going.
Come and celebrate Freedom to Read Week with us, February 22-28th and check out all of the challenged books we have in our collection. You can also browse our Freedom to Read Week lists all year long. These lists feature books that have been challenged across Canada and the United States over the years.
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