Do Librarians Self-Censor Their Collections?

I was recently drawn to an article I found entitled Self-Censorship in Selection of LGBT-Themed Materials. In it, Downey (2013) notes that “unbiased materials selection is a vital part (p. 104)” of what we do as librarians, However, we are human, and as humans we can have feelings, beliefs and views that are in direct opposition to the books and materials we must acquire for our libraries. Personally, I am a supporter of LGBT rights and would have no qualms with carrying all types of resources and materials by and for this demographic. 

However, what if I were someone who was vehemently opposed to it? Could I censor my collection on those grounds? A similar issue came to light in the media recently when a clerk from Kentucky, Kim Davis was briefly went to jail for refusing to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Although this was federal law and part of her job, she refused on the grounds that doing so went against her beliefs. If she were a librarian, I imagine she would certainly not carry LGBT-themed materials for the same reason.

In the article, Downy (2013) states that “most librarians would tell you that they would never practice censorship, or allow their professional work to reflect their personal biases (p. 104). But can we prove this? She adds that “self-censorship is tricky because it’s usually invisible – if a library is missing a book, nobody can say for certain why it’s missing.” Is it missing because it disappeared over the years, was too expensive to acquire, or simply overlooked? Or did the librarian knowingly choose not to include it in the collection because having it would bring unwanted controversy or because she objected to the content? This is difficult to pinpoint. 

It is important, therefore, to catch ourselves if and when we may begin to self-censor our collections and work to prevent it. To do so, we must work to “remove our own beliefs from our decision making about our collections (Downey, 2013, p. 104).” This is clearly not an easy task, especially when it comes to a topic like LGBT people and their rights, which has strong feelings on both sides. “Studies have shown that the vast majority of libraries lack high-quality, comprehensive LGBT collections (Downey, 2013, p. 104).” Downey (2013) argues that this is due to librarians falling into one or more “traps and myths that are prevalent in our profession (p. 105).” These include the following:

·         Trap: It’s hard to find LGBT-themed books

·         Trap: They don’t circulate

·         Trap: What will it say about me?

·         Trap: There aren’t any (or many) LGBT people in my community

·         Trap: I don’t have the money in my budget

Although these five traps may exist, Downey (2013) believes that librarians have an obligation to be thoughtful and considerate in building equitable collections and a responsibility to put personal prejudices aside to do our jobs with open minds. She concludes the article by stating “the diversity of our communities is part of what makes librarianship so exciting and meaningful. When we can honestly say that we are meeting the needs of our LGBT patrons with openness and friendliness, both in person and in our collections, we can be proud of our work and ourselves (Downey, 2013, p. 107)."

I thought this article was well-written, well thought-out and timely. It is a good resource for LIS students interested in LGBT collection development, as well as all LIS professionals who need to do some introspection and evaluate whether or not they bring any personal biases into their work.

Downey, J. (2013). Self-censorship in selection of lgbt-themed materials. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 53(2), 104-107.