Impact of censorship discussed at Bexley Public Library event
In the first of a two-part event, the Bexley Public Library (BPL) on March 29 explored trends in censorship and their impact on library systems, schools and communities.
The March 29 event, held in-person at the library at 411 E. Main St. and virtually via Zoom, featured a panel discussion about recent incidents of books being petitioned for removal in schools and libraries across Ohio and nationwide. Panelists included BPL Director Ben Heckman, Ohio Library Council Executive Director Michelle Francis and Capital Law Scholar Dan Kobil.
Heckman said BPL’s policies outline the process by which the public can request that materials be removed from the library’s collection: individuals must request and submit a form outlining their petition for the material in question to be removed.
The library has had two requests in recent years that books be removed – one involving a children’s book and the other a parody of the “50 Shades of Grey” novel trilogy – and neither petitioner followed through with the request for removal, he said.
“We don’t have that many books challenged here, at least in Bexley, and hopefully that continues to be the case,” Heckman said. “For us, you can’t determine if an idea is good or bad until you drag it out into the sunshine and take a look at it. That’s what our job is professionally.
“We understand that we’ve been given an important trust and responsibility from our community, and it’s important that we honor that with openness, objectivity, transparency and professionalism.”
Heckman said the organizational structure of Ohio’s public library system contributes to its popularity.
“We’re a political subdivision, so that really gives us much more benefits than many other states. In many other states, (the library system) is an extension of the city government, so if they have to reduce their budget on a city government level, the library can be on that conversation for the chopping block,” Heckman said. “We have our own setup for (funding). … In the whole United States, we have more people that use their public libraries here in the great state of Ohio. That’s likely why we are so popular here.”
Francis cited a national poll released March 24 by the American Library Association indicating that the following percentages of Americans support or oppose the concept of book banning, in general: Democrats, 75% oppose, 25% support; Republicans, 70% oppose, 30% support; independents, 58% oppose, 42% support.
“It confirms the national support for the freedom to read. Seven in 10 voters oppose efforts to remove or ban books in public libraries,” Francis said of the poll. “Many times, people think that it’s a partisan issue, right off the top. This poll, this survey confirms that it’s not.”
Kobil discussed several cases of banned books that have been the subject of legal challenges. In those cases, a public-school board or library system removed a book at the request of an individual or group or because of a request from school board members themselves who found certain books objectionable.
For example, in November 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal in the case of “ACLU of Florida v. Miami-Dade School Board,” according to American Libraries Magazine. The Supreme Court’s refusal to take up the case allowed to stand the school board’s 2006 decision to remove the book “A Visit to Cuba” from the district’s media centers over criticisms from some residents that the book contained misrepresentations about contemporary life in Cuba.
Kobil said people often mistakenly assume that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and, therefore, unrestricted access to books.
“The First Amendment is about having free access to information, freedom of speech, freedom of belief. Surprisingly, the First Amendment has little to say, certainly directly about libraries, and there aren’t a lot of Supreme Court cases on it,” Kobil said. “There are a few lower-court cases, not Supreme Court cases, which ultimately interpret the meaning of the First Amendment. But those lower-court cases have found that people have rights to access public libraries, but not necessarily to have access to particular books.”
For the second part of the series, young adult author Ashley Hope Perez will speak at the library at 3 p.m. April 10. Perez’s novel, “Out of Darkness,” was banned or challenged in several school districts in Texas, and in December was removed from the Washington County School District in Utah.
Perez will discuss the experience of having her book banned and the importance of sharing diverse literature with young readers. For registration and more information, visit bexleylibrary.org.
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