1. Censorship and Privacy Northern Illinois University UNIV 105

2. Censorship & Privacy Censorship occurs when producing or distributing a certain work (book, movie, etc.) is outlawed on the grounds that it contains material most people would find objectionable –The First Amendment (freedom of speech) does NOT cover obscene material or pornography (!) Privacy refers to the right of an individual or group to keep certain forms of information confidential (out of public view) The ALA Code of Ethics contains provisions dealing with privacy and censorship in libraries

3. 50 Shades of Censored Book burning occurs when fire is used to destroy copies of "immoral" books (such as 50 Shades of Gray) Pages from "immoral" books or magazines may be ripped out and turned into confetti Offensive language or obscene material may be blurred out of audio (music) or video (TV, movies) Self-censorship occurs when people censor their own @^#*&!% work to avoid offending their audience (note the example given here on purpose)

4. 50 Shades of Censored Books and movies may be censored for political or religious reasons –Certain web sites are banned in China –Hitler's Nazi troops burned books considered "un-German" (not conforming to Nazi ideals)

5. What is censored? Books and magazines Plays, movies and TV shows Art and photography Radio and speech Websites and news reports Pornography (porn = Pure Obscene Ridiculous Nonsense) What is censored may vary from one location to another

6. Famous Banned Books 50 Shades of Gray (Need we say more!) Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe –This book caused debates over slavery in the United States during the 1850s (the decade before the Civil War) –Slavery is outlawed by the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution (which was passed in 1865) The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbreck

7. Famous Banned Books Many books have been banned for religious reasons –Harry Potter books (by J.K. Rowling) and Hamlet (which contains Hamlet's fabled "To be or not to be" speech) may be banned in some places because of witchcraft –Nuremburg Chronicle (1493) contains material shunned by the Catholic Church The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution (1644) was written in Rhode Island and banned in England because of its author's views on religious freedom The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption (1650) was the first book to be banned in New England

8. Famous Banned Movies Texas Chainsaw Massacre (too gory) A Clockwork Orange (violence and rape) Bohemian Girl was banned in Nazi Germany due to its positive depiction of Gypsies Scarface (for glorifying crime)

9. Privacy & Confidentiality Certain forms of information are kept confidential –Passwords –Financial account numbers such as credit card numbers –Medical records –Library records Confidential information is not shared unless specifically authorized to do so with specific individuals Breaching confidentiality is unethical

10. Privacy & Confidentiality Library users have the right to open inquiry without having their searches scrutinized by others Library policies typically include the following: –Not retaining circulation records for materials returned by the user (to prevent misuse of such information) –Library user records are confidential In the ALA Code of Ethics, librarians and library staff are encouraged to "protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted"

11. Your Turn Pick a book from a list of banned books –Where or when the book you pick is (or was) banned is of relative unimportance Find out if the banned book you picked is available in NIU's online library catalog –Search by title or subject –Check All i-Share Libraries If the book you picked isn't in the library system at all, it may be a banned book, but not all such books are banned books (!)

12. Resources University Libraries (NIU): http://www.ulib.niu.edu Book burning: 50 Shades of Gray (online video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YpQV0ndu5g Defining censorship: http://media.okstate.edu/faculty/jsenat/censorship/defining.htm Banned Books Week: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org Dangerous Ideas: Controversial works from the William L. Clements Library (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor): http://clements.umich.edu/exhibits/online/bannedbooks/about.html ALA Code of Ethics Library Bill of Rights United States Constitution

13. Any questions?