1. Young Adults in the Library and Censorship Katie LaMantia

2. Who are young adults and why do we care about their privacy? Young adults can be classified as anyone between the ages of 13-18 or in middle school or high school. Hierarchy in the library world- Adults, Senior Citizens, Children, and Teens. Why are their information needs and services less important or valid than other groups? Gray area in terms of teens- maturity, age-appropriate

3. Recent Trends in YA Librarianship Cross-over to adult audiences Respect Common ground Library 2.0 Collection development policy Social networking Filtering

4. ALA Bill of Rights Article III Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment. Article V A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. Age- included in January 1996

5. Teenage Rights in the Library To use the library To programs that interest them To help shape library policy To confidentiality Not to have the library forced on them

6. Definitions and Differences Challenge A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Banning A banning is the removal of those materials. Censorship A change in the access status of material, based on the content of the work and made by a governing authority or its representatives. Such changes include exclusion, restriction, removal, or age/grade level changes.

7. Psychology of the Censors Most censors are not big, bad people. Mostly concerned parents. A censor lives in all of us Control “Remove the book and the thought no longer exists.” The “in” group Just want to be heard Often hidden under the guise of “moral justification.”

8. Terminology of the Censors Expression of Concern. Oral Complaint Written Complaint Public Attack Censorship

9. What type of books are commonly challenged and for what reasons? http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbookswe ek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/2009banned.pdf http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbookswe ek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/2009banned.pdf According to ALA, over the past eight years, American libraries were faced with 3,736 challenges: 1,225 challenges due to “sexually explicit” material; 1,008 challenges due to “offensive language”; 720 challenges due to material deemed “unsuited to age group”; 458 challenges due to “violence” 269 challenges due to “homosexuality”; and Further, 103 materials were challenged because they were “anti- family,” and an additional 233 were challenged because of their “religious viewpoints.”

10. Map of book bans and challenges in the US from 2007 to 2009

11. “You introduce complex sexual deviances into their consciousness. You offer a wide range of perversions that are uniquely engineered to really get their mind racing. Oh, how great you must feel with the power that your twisted influences have on their young and ignorant minds.” “And I suppose in the boredom of stuffing books in the right spot, you figure it might be exciting to stuff some porn in the wrong spot!” “It’s people like you that make me realize how far our society has fallen. Not only have you decided to make an agenda out of sexually corrupt lifestyles. But you feel liberated in egging these people on, instead of setting them on the right path towards a normal and decent life. You are no more a liberator than a slave master.”

12. Case Study- Wisconsin West Bend Community Memorial Library What was being challenged and on what grounds? When was it? Who were the challengers? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJBDGrIs3JM Outcomes Lessons Learned

13. Why it is important to fight for teen rights and literature Teens need to see themselves in literature just as much as children do. Dispel myths and take away the criminalization of deviance of sexuality and the GLBTQ community. Library is a safe haven- no judgments and privacy for all ages. How many other places can say that? No “en loco parentis.” It is the job of the parent, not the public institution to determine the appropriateness of a library material for a teen.

14. What do teens think about censorship and banning books? “What is censorship?” “Banning books is banning learning.” “Why can strangers tell me what I can and cannot read? That’s not right.” “Well that is just ridiculous.”

15. What does this mean for Y.A. librarians and collection development? Support is critical Internal and External Transparency Policy Format- Digital content Library 2.0 Context Listen! Replace conflict with dialogue. Celebrate Teen Read Week and Banned Books Week!