Comments on: PAST EVENT: Banned Books – is censorship by public libraries ever acceptable? http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/08/banned-books/ for free expression Fri, 17 May 2013 18:22:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Malcolm Boura http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/08/banned-books/#comment-2768 Malcolm Boura Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:47:28 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=15301#comment-2768 This illustrates a general problem with government strategy over the last few decades. It applies to all the media, not just libraries. They create a moral/legal climate in which people such as librarians are unable to stand up for freedom of expression. Then, so as to not appear the villain, they “delegate” to librarians and a host of others. If the government actually banned books it would be much easier to challenge them over it. Add the near total secrecy in which that censorship is carried out, the near impossibility of challenging it, and freedom of expression becomes a joke.

]]> By: Ashe http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/08/banned-books/#comment-2618 Ashe Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:21:16 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=15301#comment-2618 Who decides what is ‘extremist’? Should this be a decision taken by Librarians? If governments expect libraries to ban certain books they should identify the titles of the books they want to ban, state what it is about the books that makes it imperative to ban them, and set up a proper procedure that allows the decision to ban a book to be challenged.

If a book is not banned by law, then should librarians set themselves up as judges?

If librarians are to arbitrate on what is extremist and should be banned, then they should also state their reasons, criteria and establish procedures to challenge the decision.

How will the public know that the book-banners are not themselves ‘extremists’ preventing enlightened ideas from reaching library shelves?

Should such books only be banned in libraries, or should the sale of them be banned as well?

Are the terms ‘extremist’ and ‘offensive’ identical

Is blasphemy extremist? Books by Phillip Pullman and Richard Dawkins offend Christians – just because a book causes offence to some people is it extremist? Should it be banned? I find the proliferation of American novels in UK public libraries offensive – but I would not expect them to be banned.

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