Selection vs Censorship

With the selection of The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron as last year's Newbery Award-winner, librarians across the country found themselves in the middle of a debate: If a book uses a word that might offend some parents, do we buy the book for the children’s section or not?

I’m currently enrolled in a Collection Development class through USU aimed at preparing certified librarians for the schools of Utah, and our instructor has assigned us to read the novel for an upcoming debate. Since I have not yet finished, I’m still willing to withhold judgment until I do so, and until I’ve heard the comments of others within my class.

The upcoming discussion has led class members to research and consider: What is the difference between selection and censorship? One student prepared a list of the differences based on the information she gleaned while reading “Not Censorship But Selection” by L. Asheim in the Wilson Library Bulletin of Sept 1953. These were the basic concepts of that article.

Selection means the librarian or purchasing agent looks for values, strengths, and virtues, considers the whole book, viewing the relevancy of the parts to the whole. They consider the reaction of a rational, intelligent adult to this work and decide if there is anything good, allowing the library to keep the book. Books are purchased on the value of merits, the values it has to contribute, and a liberty of thought. Selection is a positive, democratic process that protects the right to read.

Censorship is a negative process in which the reviewer looks for weaknesses, the objectionable, and includes possible misinterpretations in isolation from the piece. Passages are often taken out of context, the relevancy of the parts to the whole are not considered. Sometimes interpretations are based on an opinion about the author or through the pressure of outside influences rather than based on the merit of the work.

Each of us as readers participate in the selection process, deciding for ourselves which books we will read and which ones we will not. We have our own values and have every right to use them when selecting books for ourselves and for our children. Teachers also have reason to select books that are appropriate to the curriculum, based on the standards and values of a community, but librarians have the challenge to protect intellectual freedom, which might mean including books that are not acceptable to the community as a whole.

Because censorship is closely related to the concepts of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, it is important that we allow selection in our libraries without fear of judgement by members of the community. So, next week my class will consider if we would spend money to buy The Higher Power of Lucky for a school library or not, and I have a feeling what we decide will depend mostly on the needs and policies of each individual school and community.