Mediaboss Marketing

Written by Erin Vanjo Tuesday, 19 June 2012 17:54

The New York Times bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey is the most recent book to fall victim to censorship in a handful of libraries throughout the United States, but it is unlikely any books will be censored by Kent State University Libraries.

Barbara Schloman, associate dean of University Libraries, said academic libraries do not ban or censor books, and Cindy Kristof, head of Access Services for University Libraries, said there has never been a book censored by University Libraries before.

University Libraries has a collection development policy which lays out the collection parameters that are designed to guide the acquisition of materials to support university research and teaching, Schloman said.

Censorship is more likely to be seen in public libraries because the environment is very different from an academic library.

Public libraries have a much different environment, Schloman said. They are developing their collections to address the various needs and interests within the community.

While academic libraries build their collections over time, public libraries change theirs according to demand, Kristof said.

Censorship is also more common in public libraries because of differences in audience.

While collegiate libraries have to answer to university administration and the needs of the universitys community, public libraries are accountable to their library boards and to members of the community as they go for levy support, Schloman said.

Public libraries are more likely to face censorship because of the communities they serve, Kristof said. Members of the community are likely to want their library to conform to what they perceive as community standards.

See the article here:
Censorship is unlikely in University Libraries