Living in Challenging Times: Why School Libraries Need Collection Policies

No school should go without a book challenge policy for its library.

Between January 1 and August 31 of 2024, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) tracked more than four hundred attempts to ban library materials, involving more than 1,100 specific titles. At the same time, self-censorship is increasing in libraries across the country due to fear of such challenges, with titles purchased but not displayed, placed on restricted shelves, or even removed entirely from consideration lists to avoid possible controversy. How can schools protect students and libraries in the face of this onslaught on diverse perspectives, educational relevance, and the freedom to read?

You may think that such challenges to materials in your local school library—based on objections to themes related to race, religion, gender, social justice, and other topics — would never happen in your community, but as book challenges become more widespread, school districts would be wise to prepare for such a possibility.

What are the repercussions when a parent checks out a book they find objectionable and then claims it is lost? What happens when a community member comes into a school library and demands the library staff remove a particular book from the shelves because they don’t personally approve of children reading it? What happens when an outside political organization, backed by experienced lawyers and funding resources, targets your local school library? At the time of writing, more than four thousand titles are currently earmarked in school libraries nationwide for possible censorship as a result of these tactics.

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Creating a board-approved collection development policy and a challenge/reconsideration policy is a powerful preventative measure. A collection policy clearly and concisely defines the process for choosing library materials, while a challenge policy defines the process needed to remove a particular book or other resource from the collection. Taking action now by creating these policies that support diverse collections and free access to them allows your school and its library to have a process in place and ready to implement should it be needed.

Library policies, approved by a school district’s governing board of trustees, serve multiple purposes by:

• Showing the public that book purchases undergo an approved process based on the school’s mission and academic curriculum;
• Providing direction and consistency in library service;
• Reducing uninformed decision-making and crisis responses to problem situations;
• Ensuring that school libraries reflect the community and provide equitable educational standards;
• Informing the community about the library’s intent, goals, and aspirations;
• Protecting library staff from accusations of bias and providing support in the case of public harassment or legal action; and
• Guaranteeing student access to information and protecting student rights.

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The majority of school libraries around the country are staffed by parent volunteers or library clerks with neither the training nor the background to counter a book challenge; they need the support of their administration to respond quickly and appropriately both to individual parental challenges and organized threats of book banning in their community. And even credentialed school librarians need administrative protection in the face of this assault on our students’ access to information.

Fortunately, increasing numbers of school districts around the country are adopting collection policies after experiencing harassment from groups like Moms for Liberty, a national organization that focuses on banning books that address themes of gender and sexuality from school libraries.

And help is available from various organizations. There are plenty of library collection policy templates online that school boards can adapt to fit their own educational mission and goals. The California School Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee and the California State Library collaborated to produce a book challenge toolkit that school librarians, library staff, and administrators can use to create clear, equitable, and transparent policies and procedures for selecting library materials and addressing questions or challenges to those materials. The American Library Association provides policy templates and other support should a challenging situation arise.

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How can parents and other community members support their school libraries? Consider volunteering in your local school library or joining a parent group if you have children in the school. Grandparents and other community members interested in safeguarding student access to information can check into which of their school district committees include a spot for community members who do not have children in the district. Joining these community-based school committees, attending school board meetings, and staying informed on the issues are all ways to connect with your local school.

Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper to voice your support for the valuable role the school library plays. Take time to read some of the current kids’ books, YA novels, and nonfiction titles garnering attention in the media. Encourage your local school board to approve policies that ensure access and a smooth process to follow should book challenges arise in your community.

With board-adopted library policies that support their work and collections solidly in place, library personnel are freed up to focus on creating vibrant, diverse library collections that support classroom curriculum and student engagement and learning.

BY CONNIE WILLIAMS AND LAURIE PROTHRO

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