BCPL FORUM BRINGS SPEAKERS

On Oct. 17, hundreds of community members showed up at the public library to discuss library materials’ content by Lydia Weed

The Handmaid’s Tale. Gossip Girl: A Novel. Hidden Figures: The Story of Four. Gender Queer. One thing all of these titles have in common is that they have been challenged by people wishing to censor books across the country.

In February of 2022, Indiana State representatives discussed Indiana Senate Bill 17, which would allow certain books deemed “harmful to children” to be banned from schools and public libraries. This bill would have stopped protection against prosecution for school and public library employees under the state’s law that prohibits the dissemination of harmful material to minors. It was criticized as vague because it raises questions of what is considered “harmful.”

This bill was shut down as of March 6, 2022. Similar scenarios have happened all over the United States. However, this is not stopping numerous groups from pushing book bans.

Moms For Liberty, formed in 2021, aims to “fight for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”

The organization has several chapters in Indiana, the closest being in Hamilton County.

Whether it is on a local or state government level, censorship is an issue that continues to divide and cause controversy. CNHS librarian Jerrica Dowling believes that the library should be a safe space for many types of stories to be shared.

“When we start getting rid of ideas that we don’t like, or try to erase identities through censoring books, it is definitely a dangerous game we’re playing,” Dowling said. “We don’t want to ‘protect’ one particular child at the expense of the experiences of every other child.” Banned Books Week was the week of Sept. 18, and Bartholomew County Public Library had informative events. Library employees have had experiences with people trying to interfere with the materials in circulation. Audrey Hood, the reference services manager at the library, gives her thoughts on how this affects the community.

“There have been several newspaper articles in The Republic covering some ongoing issues at the library with individuals and/or groups that are taking issue with the content of some of our teen materials,” Hood said. “We have a formal process in which patrons can fill out a form called a ‘Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials.’”

Hood said they take these request seriously.

“We are receptive to the opinion of community members, but we do not guarantee that content that some people deem objectionable in our collection will be removed,” Hood said. “We strive to curate a collection that fulfills our mission of providing resources to support lifelong learning, and we want to provide our community with reading material that is enriching, varied, and informative.”

Members meet at the Bartholomew County Public Library to discuss banned books. photo by Natalie Brown

Out of1,648 unique titles banned from 2021-2022:

source: PEN America 21% directly address race 41% explicitly address LGBTQIA+ themes 22% contain sexual content 40% contain protagonists or prominent characters of color

The next meeting is Nov. 14, contact mybcpl.org for more information.