{"id":33272,"date":"2025-06-13T01:19:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T05:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=33272"},"modified":"2025-06-05T08:01:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T12:01:59","slug":"self-censorship-a-journey-to-the-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2025\/06\/self-censorship-a-journey-to-the-unknown\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Censorship: Reflections on an Inside Job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This June I\u2019ve been thinking about the opposite of PRIDE. About what it means to feel hesitation and insecurity during basic library experiences. Ordering a book. Picking up a book. Putting a book back on display. Even though I\u2019ve seen plenty of nervous twelve year olds looking for materials that this might apply to, this isn\u2019t speculation about patron behavior. It&#8217;s about self-censorship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Truthfully, I don\u2019t have to try super hard to remember what it was like to be a nervous twelve year old, and maybe that\u2019s part of why I love children\u2019s librarianship. This month I\u2019m thinking about self-censorship as an anticipatory strategy to navigate (and avoid) the stress of pushback and material challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"247\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BBW18facebook-650x247.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18923\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BBW18facebook-650x247.png 650w, https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BBW18facebook-300x114.png 300w, https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BBW18facebook-768x292.png 768w, https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BBW18facebook-1314x500.png 1314w, https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BBW18facebook-160x61.png 160w, https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/BBW18facebook.png 1640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Taken from the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom&#8217;s website on Banned Books. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To that end, I want to offer a quick take on some pressure points in library services to consider what the path toward self-censorship looks like. How deeply does it invade my thoughts? Where does it come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Intellectual freedom doesn\u2019t just happen because the library doors are open. Not unlike a seedling or a young mind, intellectual freedom requires daily support and nurturance. Here are a few guideposts I\u2019ve used to reflect on how self-censorship takes root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Buyer Beware<\/strong>: How well does collection growth and purchasing reflect community needs?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Circulatory Systems<\/strong>: Am I promoting or avoiding books and events that seem like they may face challenges?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hidden in Plain Sight<\/strong>: Am I changing displays because I\u2019m worried about potential complaints or because I think they can be improved?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To Keep or Not to Keep<\/strong>: When weeding, am I looking for reasons to keep or to discard frequently challenged titles?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Model Train<\/strong>: Imagine that nervous twelve year old is going to base their next choices on your actions. Then ask yourself, \u201cam I modeling the best version of service to patrons and peers?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Yes or Know?<\/strong>: Discretion is professional skill that involves assessment, appraisal, and decision but self-censorship comes from a slightly different place, one that chooses because of what&#8217;s unknown. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Self-censorship may start in the mind, but it happens in the real world. And self awareness moves the needle from thought to action, beyond &#8220;good intentions&#8221; toward better services. For more reflections on self-censorship, check out more posts from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oif.ala.org\/?s=self+censorship\">Intellectual Freedom<\/a> and ALSC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2016\/05\/self-censorship-2\/\">blogs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This post addresses <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ala.org\/alsc\/edcareeers\/alsccorecomps\">ALSC Core Competencies<\/a> I. Commitment to Client Group 1 and 2. II. Reference and User Services 1, 6, and 7. IV. Collection Knowledge and Management 2, 3, and 9. VII. Professionalism and Professional Development 3 and 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This June I\u2019ve been thinking about the opposite of PRIDE. About what it means to feel hesitation and insecurity during basic library experiences. Ordering a book. Picking up a book. Putting a book back on display. Even though I\u2019ve seen plenty of nervous twelve year olds looking for materials that this might apply to, this isn\u2019t speculation about patron behavior. It&#8217;s about self-censorship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":382,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[2667,64,1605,1604,41,1614,1613,1606],"tags":[2992],"class_list":["post-33272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-erika-hogan","category-bloggers","category-commitment-to-client-group","category-competencies-for-librarians-serving-children-in-public-libraries","category-intellectual-freedom","category-knowledge-curation-and-management-of-materials","category-professionalism-and-professional-development","category-reference-and-user-services","tag-self-censorship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/382"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}