ALA on Censorship
Censorship is the suppression of ideas and information that some individuals, groups, or government officials find objectionable or dangerous.
-American Library Association, "What is Censorship?," First Amendment and Censorship webpage
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ALA: First Amendment and CensorshipSite includes statements, documents, and history of First Amendment, Censorship, and the Freedom to Read.
Books on Censorship
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On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US
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ISBN: 9781682753477Publication Date: 2023-09-19In America today, more books are being banned than ever before. This censorship is part of a larger assault on such American institutions as schools, public libraries, and universities. In On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US, respected long-time public librarian James LaRue issues a balanced and reasonable call to action for all citizens. LaRue, who served as director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation, highlights the dangers of book banning and censorship in our public and educational spaces. -
Private Censorship
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ISBN: 9780197581902Publication Date: 2023-10-13Concerns about censorship have once again reached a fever pitch across the liberal West. With a few notable exceptions, complaints about censorship in the 21st-century West are complaints about the behavior of private parties: social groups, employers, media conglomerates, social media platforms, and search engines. To better understand the concerns surrounding nonstate interference with speech, Private Censorship offers an account of censorship, as well as an assessment of the ethical and political issues it raises across contexts. -
Triggered Literature: Cancellation, Stealth Censorship and Cultural Warfare
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ISBN: 9781785908170Publication Date: 2024-04-02'Triggering'. When and where did the usage originate? No one is sure. There is, however, clear connection with the psychiatric term 'trauma trigger' - stimuli which can detonate unhealed wounds. In this extraordinary polemic, John Sutherland - former Visiting Professor of Literature at the California Institute of Technology - takes a wide-ranging and characteristically nuanced look at the history of triggering and censorship in literature and shows how it has become a theatre of culture warfare.
Introduction to Censorship, ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom
Censorship in Prisons
Resources
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Beacon for Freedom of ExpressionBeacon for Freedom of Expression is an international censorship database that preserves information about historic and current censored media in a global perspective.
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The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)Originally an organization devoted to protecting free speech on college campuses, it is now also pursuing free speech advocacy beyond college campuses.
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Index on CensorshipThis nonprofit publishes an online magazine featuring topics related to censorship and supports writers and artists who have been censored.
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National Coalition Against CensorshipTheir mission is to promote freedom of thought, inquiry and expression and oppose censorship in all its forms.
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Neo-Censorship in U.S. Libraries: An Investigation Into Digital Content SuppressionThis report from Library Futures, a project of The Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy at NYU Law, presents research related to censorship taking place in library databases.
Prisons ban the most books in the United States
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Reading Between the Bars An In-Depth Look at Prison Censorship"Prison officials cite two main rationales for censoring literature based on the content: 1) sexual content and 2) security. We found that these rationales are applied broadly to censor scientific, creative, historical, and other forms of literature.
Content-neutral banning is on the rise. We identified, in the past 8 years, a steep rise in the number of prisons that practice content-neutral banning, specifically “approved vendor” policies, a practice that limits the booksellers incarcerated people can purchase literature from and largely prohibits free and used literature." -
Banning the Caged Bird: Prison Censorship across America"We read to connect with our humanity and reaffirm our dignity. Books open the doors to new experiences, emotions, and ways of
thinking and seeing the world. Books are endless sources of knowledge, training, and guidance. Books shape our lives.
Books play an important role in society, but access to books is especially crucial to incarcerated individuals. Every state in America
censors books in prisons and for those behind bars, these prohibitions against books can have devastating consequences.
Incarcerated individuals have limited access, if any, to the internet or the outside world. Reading is the primary way that many incarcerated individuals feel connected to society. These connections are crucial to the rehabilitation of those behind bars. In depriving
the incarcerated of books, prisons are depriving them of the ability to grow intellectually, flourish emotionally and mentally, and the
opportunity to prepare themselves for the outside world."