Before the censor comes

1. Write and have your library board adopt a collection development policy (be sure to do this before any incident). Samples of collection development policies are available from other libraries, ALA and other professional publications, and from the Alaska State Library Library Development Coordinators. Be sure to include the idea of diversity (as in diversity of opinions and ideas) as one of the library goals. If at all possible, try to mention First Amendment rights and the Library Bill of Rights.
2. The collection development policy should contain provision for a written form to request review of controversial materials and should describe the make-up and bylaws for a standing Controversial Materials Review Committee. (See also Selection.)
3. Identify teachers, city administrators, parents, and community leaders who are broad-minded and supportive and might be willing to serve on a committee to address challenges to materials.

When the censor comes

1. Remain calm…don’t overreact. If the challenge is from an individual concerned only about what is available to his/her own child, you have a good chance of settling amicably. Listen to the complaint; agree that a parent should have the right to control a child’s reading; suggest the parent and you talk together with the child about setting limits for his/her borrowing. DO NOT agree to remove an item from the collection. (Remember, other parents have the right for their children to have all materials available). DO NOT agree to be responsible for seeing to it that a child doesn’t check out these materials. (You may fail to be the perfect policeman and shouldn’t be put into the role…this is a matter between parent and child).
2. If the issue is broader or the above actions don’t satisfy the complainant, ask your board to meet with you and the complainant. If this doesn’t resolve the matter, give the complainant the board-approved request for reconsideration form to fill out. Frequently the matter will end at this point.
3. If the form is returned and referred to your Controversial Materials Review Committee, be prepared to testify about the item at their meeting. Do your homework …have these facts ready:
1. Why was this item selected for your library? (Bring copies of reviews).
2. What is the usage/circulation pattern for this item?
3. Which other libraries in your district and state have this item? What is their experience with it?
4. Why do you think this item is valuable for your collection?
4. Speak rationally and in a low-key manner. Your opponents may be highly emotional. You need to contrast with them. If possible, have some people from your support group (identified in #4 above) speak in favor of the item.
5. The confrontation over this item may be much more serious if there is an organized group behind the complaint. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if that’s what you are facing. Some clues:
1. Complainants want not just their own children but every child “protected” from the item.
2. Some of the complainants have no children at all.
3. Money is spent in publicizing and spreading their viewpoint.
4. The same words and phrases are repeated by various people at different times.
6. If this is the type of battle you face, there are people you can notify who will be willing to help:
1. Your local (or the state) AkLA chapter. The Intellectual Freedom representative will notify the state chairperson – currently, June Pinnell-Stephens of Fairbanks.
2. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom.  (800-545-2433 x 4223)
3. The Alaska State Library Coordinators. (907-269-6570)
4. Alaska Civil Liberties Union. (907-276-2258)
7. Each of these people/offices will provide materials, information and, most importantly, support.

After the censor comes

1. Whether the decision satisfies you or not, be sure to mind your manners. Write thank-you notes to everyone who helped, thanking them for their support for the item and the principles of intellectual freedom (rather than for you). You may need their support again.
2. Remember, please:

• Not every item is in the place it should be. When a title is challenged, look at it again. Don’t be intimidated into moving or removing the item, but use your own standards of selection to decide if this item really belongs where it is. If so, prepare to defend it. If not, move it to where it belongs with a clean conscience. Not every purchasing or placement decision is worth fighting for.
• Whether the fight is won or lost, it is the principle you are defending, not yourself. Easy to say and hard to do…don’t take this personally.
• Don’t put your job on the line. Try not to make yourself a victim of the battle, and rely on your supporters to lead the effort when you can’t.

Bibliography of materials on censorship

Books

• Banned in the USA: A Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries, rev. ed. Herbert N. Foerstel. Greenwood, 2002 
• Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for School Libraries, 3rd ed. Henry Reichman. American Library Association, 2001.
• Intellectual Freedom Manual: Latest edition. Compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Assn.

  Sections of this book are general in scope, while others specifically apply to school library situations. The history of the development of ALA positions on censorship issues is included as well as advice on handling problems.

• Protecting the Right to Read. Ann K. Symons and Charles Harmon. Neal-Schuman, 1995.

  Covers policies and procedures for school and public libraries, with discussions of the Internet and other IF issues and trends, as well as a reconsideration case study from a school library.

Articles

• Caywood, Carolyn. “Censorproof Your Library.” School Library Journal (December, 1994)
• Scales, Pat. "Understanding the First Amendment." Book Links (September, 2007)
• Pat Scales has a regular column in School Library Journal that sometimes offers essays on censorship of materials for young people and other months has questions and answers from school librarians about real-life instances of challenges to intellectual freedom.  Use the Professional Development Collection under Education on the Digital Pipeline to search for these articles under the name of the author, Pat Scales.  (This particular resource is available only to those in the state of Alaska.)

Helpful Websites

• http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom

  ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom home page with all the policies, organizations and contacts.

Free Resources

• First Amendment First Aid Kit

  Write to Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036 or FAX (212) 782-9452. http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/firstamendment/. This kit "is intended to be a quick reference guide, providing information about who to talk with, how to respond, and what to do when confronted with challenges to titles in your schools and libraries. The kit is not comprehensive, but we hope it will be an easy-to-use index to sources of information, help, and support." Sample reconsideration form is included in the Selection section.

• For more information about Banned Books Week, visit http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/.