Libraries across Multnomah County celebrate Banned Books Week by prominently displaying banned or challenged books Oct. 1-7.
Multnomah County libraries’ Banned Books Week celebrations have added significance this year. With book bans and challenges rising throughout the United States and Oregon, challenges or requests for reconsideration keep the Oregon Library Association, or OLA, Intellectual Freedom Committee busy addressing censorship issues.
Librarians throughout Multnomah County and the state look forward to raising awareness about intellectual freedom in the wake of schools and librarians facing threats and harassment regarding books with LGBTQIA+ content.
Displays include books like “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, the most challenged book in America from 2022, according to the American Library Association. Many educators consider this young adult graphic novel, which deals with gender identity, to be appropriate for high school students.
The State Library of Oregon reports book challenges are at a historic high, with many attempts focused on multiple titles at once. Of 46 challenges, 82% were at public libraries and 18% at school libraries. Patrons, parents or groups, some explicitly political or religious, file the challenges. These challenges range from requesting librarians move a book to a separate library shelf to asking librarians to remove materials altogether.
Censorship
The First Amendment allows individuals to gather, speak, publish, read and view what they wish with few restrictions. The legal bar for restricting speech is extremely high, so banning books in public libraries is on shaky ground when it comes to the First Amendment.
Regardless of dubious legality, groups and individuals are ramping up efforts to ban books, particularly those written by marginalized people, Shawn Cunningham, Multnomah County Library spokesperson, said.
Across the country, so-called parent advocacy groups put pressure on school districts to ban books addressing race, sexuality and gender identity. Leading groups include Citizens Defending Freedom, Parents’ Rights in Education and Moms for Liberty, which are typically funded by special interest groups and promote a far-right or religious agenda. Often, the groups have few local ties, if any, but work to create a superficial fervor for banning books in a given area.
“Multnomah County Library stands against censorship,” Cunningham said. “Public libraries are vital civic spaces, places for differing ideas and points of view. Promoting civil discourse about difficult subjects and upholding the principles of intellectual freedom are core library values.
“In light of organized efforts to suppress marginalized voices and perspectives, those values are more important than ever.”
Emily O’Neal, OLA Intellectual Freedom Committee chair, leads OLA’s efforts around intellectual freedom.
O’Neal said the committee has been busier than usual in recent years. Four years ago, the committee tracked one challenged book at a time. Now, the committee typically tracks three or four book challenges at a time.
“Bans, challenges, censorship; a lot of folks use the term banning universally, but it is the least likely of scenarios,” O’Neal, also a public librarian in Bend, said. “A ban is the result of a process when a book has been removed. It does not happen very often and is not a concern nationwide. We more often see a challenge process, the act of asking for removal.”
Challenges
“Request for Reconsideration” is a formal process to challenge a book. Questions on the form from the OLA include whether someone read the entire book, what concerns they have and suggestions for how they want the library to provide more information and other viewpoints. The complainant completes the form and talks to the librarian, teacher or principal about their concerns.
According to Miranda Doyle, a school library media specialist who serves on the OLA Intellectual Freedom Committee, the process can continue from there. If unresolved, the school district can form a committee that meets once or several times; they vote on their recommendation. Most often, there are teachers, parents, students and librarians on the committee. These meetings can be public or summarized for the public afterward. Sometimes, the recommendation to retain, remove or relocate books goes to the school board or superintendent for approval or a different outcome.
“Multnomah County Library operates based on a set of values and goals that reflect its mission of service to the community,” Cunningham said. “Library patrons are welcome to submit statements of concern about library materials; the library evaluates each of those separately and with care.”
Currently, 90 books, two films and one magazine are on the State Library of Oregon’s list of challenged items. Almost all have been retained or are under review. One, “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins, has been restricted. Libraries are still reviewing some items and have not removed any.
Most challengers follow the process, but sometimes people circumvent this by going straight to the library board, school administration or local government, according to the state library. A few resort to aggressive tactics, such as harassing library staff and lobbing death threats, as was the case for three Oregon public libraries challenged over LGBTQIA+ books this year.
The state library reports challengers accused the libraries of “promoting content,” “distributing pornography to minors,” and encouraging “sexualization of young children.” In addition to death threats and general harassment, challengers called library staff “groomers” and "pedophiles," according to the state library’s Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse 2023 Report.
These instances in Oregon reflect what is happening around the country. OLA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee maintains a statement regarding its stance on the First Amendment and book banning.
“We support the right of parents and guardians to guide their child’s reading and viewing choices, but that right does not extend to removing choices for others,” the statement reads. “The work of libraries and librarians is to serve everyone in their community and provide resources that are reflective of the world around us.”
All the books on the American Library Association’s list of the 13 most challenged books of 2022 face claims of sexually explicit content or content pertaining to LGBTQIA+ communities. A 2022 Gallup poll found 7.1% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBTQIA+, double the number in 2012. These books reflect a growing demand, and the pushback reflects an intensifying reaction from people and groups with anti-LGBTQIA+ views.
The American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom documented challenges to 3,923 book titles nationwide between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31. Challenges are up from last year and the highest number of challenges in the last 20 years. Most of these books were written by or about people of color or members of LGBTQIA+ communities. Some depict violence or abuse.
Bans
While libraries removing books altogether is rare, it’s not unheard of in Oregon.
In April 2022, North Medford High School removed the graphic novel version of Margaret Atwood’s book, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” from shelves. A parent complained about images of nudity, sexual assault and suicide in the dystopian science fiction novel, and the school has not returned the title, according to O’Neal.
In 2023, two Canby community members wanted to remove books allegedly depicting violence, sexual content, profanity and drug addiction from local middle and high schools. Canby School District temporarily removed 36 titles, KGW News reported in March. The district removed the titles via a school district review process, according to Kristen Wohlers, Canby School District communications director.
KGW’s published list of challenged titles included mostly books by and about people of color, LGBTQIA+ people and books with alleged sexual content.
The district planned to review the books over the summer, according to O’Neal. Hundreds of parents and students wanted the books returned to the shelves. They attended board meetings, protested and the students set up an Instagram account.
Ultimately, a school district-established committee decided to keep all books except one, “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov. O’Neal said the school board did not involve the OLA in the process.
Other school districts in Oregon have faced similar requests from parents, but chose to keep the books available until the matter was resolved. Some, like West Linn-Wilsonville School District, chose to restrict certain books to high school libraries.
PEN America, a writing advocacy group, reports most book bans this school year are in Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah and South Carolina.
At least seven states passed or are considering obscenity laws penalizing librarians for providing LGBTQIA+ content or what the state considers sexually explicit content, according to The Washington Post.
“One thing that is important to this current situation is the folks that are pushing for materials to be removed are organized and pushing at a higher level,” O’Neal said. “They are political and organized, with extreme views, not what communities want. I don’t want a protected worldview, and I’m baffled as to who these people are because it is an organized extreme effort.”
Challenging the challengers
In December 2022, The Bulletin reported some parents asked a director of library services in Crook County to remove children’s books with LGBTQIA+ content to a different part of the library. Moving and labeling the books would be a violation of the First Amendment and could put funding for the library in jeopardy, according to an attorney hired by Crook County.
In turn, the Crook County Library Board of Trustees voted not to move or label the books reflecting the LGBTQIA+ community. Following this, students were not given access to school library materials.
Social media posts targeted the director with misinformation, and patrons subjected library staff to harassment and name-calling. The director eventually resigned, partly due to the overwhelming pressure, The Bulletin reported.
The Oregon Library Association helps libraries through challenges across the state as a resource with policies and information. It may issue public statements against the challenges.
“There are things a library can and should do,” O’Neal said.
She recommends well-trained library staff work with library boards and their community to make sure they understand what to do about book challenges. They can be sure to follow the process and not sidestep policies. Community members can speak up at board meetings in support of libraries and First Amendment rights.
In states with less official resistance to book banning, libraries fight back against First Amendment violations with lawsuits.
This year, libraries in Arkansas, Texas, Florida, Missouri and Wisconsin filed lawsuits because of First Amendment violations, with the help of the Freedom to Read Foundation, the First Amendment legal defense branch of the American Library Association.
In June, the Freedom to Read Foundation, along with authors, librarians, readers, publishers and booksellers, filed suit for Arkansas to remove Act 372, which restricts reading materials in libraries and bookstores.
In Texas, citizens filed a suit against the Llano County government for removing materials from the county library that some library users complained about.
PEN America and Penguin Random House sued the Florida Department of Education on May 16 over unconstitutional book bans targeting books about LGBTQIA+ identities along with race and racism. The ACLU has been involved in other lawsuits, fighting against censorship and upholding the Constitution.
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is a time to call out the need to fight against censorship and to celebrate the freedom to read. This year, the ALA’s theme for Banned Books Week is “Let Freedom Read!”.
Young people in Multnomah County weighed in on the topic of banning or challenging books. The library published some of their comments.
“I’ve read many banned books,” a youth from Gresham said. “For example, Stamped by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi. I believe people challenged it because of its content on racism. And the history they wrote about it. I found it very interesting and a very important novel. We learn about history so we make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Multnomah County Library states on its website that everyone should have the opportunity to see themselves represented on the shelves.
“I think books are being banned/challenged because people are afraid of what they don’t understand, so they try to get rid of it altogether,” a young reader from Woodstock Library said.
Editor's Note: This story previously contained errors regarding the origin of the Canby School District committee charged with evaluating removal requests and the process it followed. The committee originated from the school district and used the district's review process. Street Roots regrets this error
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