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Book censorship efforts in the USA have become increasingly concerning for champions of freedom of expression and civil liberties. The movement to ban books is seemingly driven by a desire to curtail adolescents' access to information about sexuality and gender diversity. This paper details the findings of a content analysis of the American Library Association's (ALA) Top 10 Most Challenged Books list from 2011 to 2021. The authors analysed purported reasons for book challenges along with target age groups for the 42 books within our sample period. We found that most of the books in the ALA Top 10 list were challenged for reasons related to sexuality and/or LGBTQ themes. Between 2011 and 2015, book challengers were most likely to claim to be motivated by general perceptions of 'sexual explicitness'. However, after 2016, and perhaps as a backlash against the Federal Government's legalisation of same-sex marriage, purported LGBTQ content in books was a stronger motivator. Given that most of the books in the top 10 most challenged list are intended for adolescent readers, our findings have implications for informal sex education and access to information about LGBTQ lives.

Despite comics' popularity and cultural significance in Italy, its integration into Italian libraries has been slow, problematic, and uneven. This is reflected in the scarcity of academic research on the topic, which demands further in-depth exploration. In the context of Italian libraries, characterized by chronic underfunding and staffing shortages, comics might be perceived as a low priority. However, as essential cultural institutions, libraries must strive to reflect both the contemporary era and the evolving reading habits of their audience. Comics, in this regard, could prove to be -- and in part already are -- a critical resource, a 'booster' for libraries. This article aims to provide a broad and introductory framework for understanding the relationship between comics and libraries in Italy. It will specifically examine the challenges and opportunities associated with this incomplete integration, addressing specific issues such as cataloging, displaying, managing, and promoting comics collections. The first section will explore the historical context of the troubled relationship between Italian libraries and comics, in line with crucial international studies. Following this historical contextualization, the second part will examine the challenges faced by Italian librarians in creating and managing comics collections, including the enduring perception of comics as a medium primarily for children. The research employs a multifaceted approach, combining bibliographic analysis, an anonymous survey, and data from a conference co-organized by the researcher. This research examines the Italian library system's fragmented approach to comics. It aims to understand librarians' perceptions of the medium and how they integrate comics into their collections. It offers insights to enhance the dynamic relationship between comics and libraries in an evolving society.

The recent spike in book challenges has put school libraries at the center of heated political debates. I investigate the relationship between local politics and school library collections using data on books with controversial content from a sample of 6,631 public school libraries. Libraries in conservative areas have fewer titles with LGBTQ, race/racism, or abortion content and more Christian fiction and discontinued Dr. Seuss books. This is true even though most libraries have at least some controversial content. State laws that restrict curricular content are negatively related to access to some LGBTQ and race/racism titles. Finally, I present short-term evidence that book challenges in the 2021-22 school year are associated with decreases in the acquisition of new LGBTQ materials.

What began in a library science course as a collection development project serendipitously transformed into varied learning experiences for students across disciplines and program levels. This article shares the journey of how a singular lesson idea blossomed into an unintentional, multidisciplinary project that led to unexpected learning outcomes for all involved. [The page range cited on the .pdf (p97-107) is incorrect. The correct page range is p95-107.]

Shared print programs are helping their member libraries right-size their collections. As they do, there are concerns about the adverse impact of bibliographic inaccuracies. This paper studies bibliographic record inaccuracies and the resulting frequency of mismatches between an item owned and the record representing ownership. Through analysis of interlibrary loan (ILL) survey data, the authors found an overall low rate of bibliographic inaccuracy, and that inaccuracies rarely prevented library staff from verifying the ownership of the item. The authors review how this finding contributes to confidence in library holding records, which is necessary for evaluating the optimal number of copies in shared print networks and for minimizing the risk in withdrawal decisions.

Diversity is an important issue in higher education communication and media programs. This study shows how librarians can use audit data to assess and strive for diversity in their library's print monographic collections. This article explores aspects of diversity within two fields of study, communication and media, and discusses the results of a diversity audit of communication and media monographs published between 2013 and 2022. The author analyzes thirteen diversity-related topics and their coverage within communication and media. A discussion of the current landscape as well as implications for researchers, librarians, and publishers are provided.

Acquisition management is the kind of strategy that university libraries adopt to assist the information needs of the client population. This study attempted to understand the acquisition management in the university libraries in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. The study adopted a survey method and included all those well-established public and private sector universities that were chartered by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and recognized by HEC until December 31, 2012, in the province (Public = 17 and Private = 9; Total = 26 universities). The population of this study was the senior library professionals working in the central libraries of the main campuses of all the universities in the province. The study's findings show that the acquisition management in the university libraries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is more focused on fulfilling the curriculum requirements of the parent institutions to which they are attached.

Applying a content warning to metadata and archival descriptions is a practice that libraries increasingly embrace, even though the American Library Association considers content labeling to be censorship under the Library Bill of Rights. The language used in a content warning, such as "offensive" or "harmful," carries important implications for the responsibility the library assumes and the actions it might take. Before deciding to apply a content warning, libraries should consider a range of questions posed by such warnings and be prepared to respond to the inherent conflict they create with librarianship's commitment to intellectual freedom and anti-censorship.

This is the story of six books looted by Nazis from the Jewish Religious Community Library in Prague (JRCLP) that were discovered recently in the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Library. No scholarly literature describing similar experiences of North American academic libraries was found, nor were any professional guidelines for repatriating library materials. We describe our repatriation process, explore the historical contexts of the Nazi confiscation of millions of books and describe the Allies' post-war restitution efforts. As the digitization of academic library holdings worldwide progresses, the probability of uncovering more material of questionable provenance increases. This case study can open a dialog on the issue.

Soft or self-censorship is when librarians' modify their book choices, not based on a selection policy, but on the climate. To avoid getting in trouble, they choose books that will not be controversial. The result may be that their self-censorship is a greater threat to school libraries than the actual book challenges. In this article, Robbie Barber examines how a data-driven process is a solution to be sure librarians' are meeting the needs of their learners and not second-guessing themselves. The data they collect through surveys, circulation, observation, and other methods, including their self-reflection process, determines their ability to provide a variety of materials for their learners.

What can school librarians do about library and book censorship? First, ask questions. Find out what your principal and your district have put into policy and what your principal's expectations are for your school library. Then, communicate with your classroom teachers. For ourselves, school librarians should work with colleagues, especially other certified, degreed media specialists, to help identify our implicit and explicit biases, and even fears, when selecting materials for our school libraries. We should do this when we consider books for selection, weeding, and deselection. As school librarians, we don't always have a say in the books we include or remove from our collections, especially today. But we do have a voice. We have a powerful voice to speak out for our learners and their families who fear their stories will be removed from the shelves. You have a choice. You can move in fear and silence, or you can move in power and with your voice. Let's use that voice for our learners.

Adults at school board meetings screaming at elected members about "groomer" and "pedophile" school librarians' books, programs, and displays. Politicians who repeat these claims and pledge to remove pornography from local schools. Public threats of physical harm or loss of livelihood against school librarians. The result of increasing instances of overt, concerted attempts to restrict our learners' access to materials and programs? Increasing admissions by school librarians that they feel forced to consider soft censorship. Many have had classroom teachers and administrators approach with informal concerns about titles, programs, or displays. Some have even had titles removed, displays taken down, and programs canceled outside school board policies. In School Library Journal's 2023 Controversial Book Survey, librarian reports that book challenges influenced their purchasing decisions for the library (across all grade levels) rose from 27% in 2022 to 37% in 2023. Twenty-four percent of respondents said they'd experienced harassment over books or displays in their library (Cockcroft 2023). School librarians as professionals must personally and organizationally address the very significant threat of self-/soft/quiet censorship. Organizations can track (and extrapolate) data on formal challenges, protests, and published complaints but the soft censorship that may be a consequence of these is much more insidious and likely detrimental to the goal of providing books, programs, and displays to meet a diverse range of diverse learner needs and interests. School librarians need both information and allies, including fellow educators and community members, to confront soft censorship in ourselves and others. It's critical to boost confidence in administration and classroom leaders that materials, displays, and programs align with curricular standards as well as school and district goals. It's important to specifically address the major targets in school libraries, including titles with LGBTQ and BIPOC characters, graphic novels, and manga, which constitute the majority of titles cited in lists of books formally challenged. Utilizing resources available for data-driven selection, deselection, displays, and programming in our schools can provide quantitative and qualitative support for ourselves and others.

Beginning with a discussion of how collections diversity has been conceptualized and assessed within the literature, we then analyze four areas in which professional practices and modes of thinking create barriers to collecting materials from historically marginalized voices. Specifically, we discuss how metadata practices can obscure these materials from acquisitions workflows and user discovery, how relying on use statistics can reinforce existing inequalities. Finally, we discuss how understaffing in key areas and budgetary constraints impede libraries from recognizing and addressing the full scope of the problem.

When school librarians justify the purchase of electronic books (e-books) for their collections, they need to understand e-book usage patterns and whether or not e-books are meeting the recreational and informational needs of their students and teachers. Although a sizeable body of research is available examining the circulation and usage of e-books in academic and public libraries, there has yet to be a scientific study examining these variables in high school libraries. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of high school e-book collections through the analysis of circulation data and interviews with school librarians. A Relative Use Factor analysis was conducted. Quantitative results revealed that e-book circulation represented a significantly low total circulation for most of the high school libraries examined. Analysis of the interviews revealed commonalities and differences between e-book collections. Findings suggested that purchasing practices and marketing strategies can have a considerable impact on the circulation and use of e-books in high school libraries.

Hurricane Harvey dealt a devastating blow to the Pasadena Independent School District (PISD) community when it made landfall August 25, 2017, one week into the PISD 2017-2018 school year. Hurricane Harvey affected all PISD stakeholders and all campuses to some extent, displacing more than 2,000 district families and tripling the number of homeless learners to 13,203 in the 2017-2018 school year. Three campus libraries sustained serious damage, rendering the library spaces temporarily unusable. district leaders worked with campus personnel to assess damage to campuses, as well as determine the impact of the storm on students and staff. The Libraries and Instructional Materials Department immediately surveyed all school librarians to determine the extent of physical damage to campus libraries, technology, and books. This information was used both for insurance claims and for assessing the level of urgency for repair work and replacement of library furniture, books, and technology. In light of the damage throughout the community and the resulting disruption of daily life for many PISD learners, everyone involved with the PISD school libraries was resolved to continue providing library services and resources regardless of the personal and professional obstacles created by the storm. Collaboration and effective communication with all district departments focused on removing access barriers to library services and resources, ensured that the library remained a consistent part of daily school life, and provided a sense of normalcy and comfort to all students.

In Kentucky the school library is regarded as the hub of the school community and integral to teaching and learning. The power of the school library lies in the programming, resources, services, and instruction it provides educators and learners to support learning. Stakeholders come to appreciate Kentucky's school libraries because of their experiences using the space, accessing materials, and learning-through-doing. With the release of the "National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries" (AASL 2018), Kentucky school librarians are using the standards to transform the science of school librarianship and inspire the enhancement of school library practice. This article describes the role of Kentucky school libraries and the support networks undergirding the state's school librarians.

As the role of print collections in academic libraries moves from monograph storage to a method for engaging users, the browsability and accessibility of print collections are becoming increasingly important. One factor that affects the ability to comfortably browse collections is the height at which the books are stored. This paper examines the relationship between the shelf level on which books are shelved and their circulation rates. Results indicate that books stored on the top level tended to circulate less than books stored on lower levels, but the effect may vary based on the subject area.

Using the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "National School Library Standards," and the essential questions developed out of the author's work on the Emerging Leaders project "Defending Intellectual Freedom LGBTQ+ Materials in School Libraries" resource guide, readers are taken through applying essential questions to think about intellectual freedom in the face of book challenges. The six Shared Foundations of Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage raise essential questions that could help both individuals and the profession become stronger defenders of intellectual freedom and LGBTQ+ materials.

The Missouri State University Libraries Access Services implemented an evidence-based process to move many books and shelves. That process included measuring the collection, performing quality control checks, creating a plan, and defining regular waypoints to keep the shift from deviating from the plan. This article describes the move, the ideas behind it, and the spreadsheet that provided evidence to make informed decisions.

Hyphomycetous fungi - so called 'mould'- are the most important agents of biodeterioration in museums, museums' storage rooms, in libraries, collections and restoration studios. Fungi are able to live at low water activities, they are perfectly adapted to indoor environments and thrive in microclimatic niches caused by condensation, lack of ventilation or water retention by hygroscopic materials. Fungi spoil valuable pieces of art aesthetically, mechanically, chemically and by degradation of organic components. Historical material made of paper and oil paintings with high amounts of organic binders are especially susceptible to fungal deterioration. In order to prevent fungal contamination or to treat already contaminated objects an integrated approach including climate control, material-specific cleaning and application of carefully selected biocides is necessary., (© 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Patrons' information consumption behaviors of print materials are influenced by their content and tangible characteristics. This quantitative study incorporates several content-based factors widely adopted in collection management practices as well as two physical dimension-related factors, including book size and number of pages, and applies a series of regression analyses to evaluate the relative impact of these factors on patrons' checkout versus in-library use decisions. The results suggest that shelf time and book size exhibit consistent and significant impact on patrons' use of print materials. These findings can shed further light on collection management practices and policies in academic libraries striving to provide patrons more user-centered collections and space.

In this study, science trade books from the libraries of 10 elementary schools across the United States were evaluated using a science trade book evaluation rubric for their overall quality pertaining to science content, literacy, and critical literacy criteria. Findings indicate that 62% of the books met the overall science content criterion, 99% met the overall literacy criterion, and 41% met the overall critical literacy criterion. The majority of science trade books in each school were life science books, and the majority of books across all schools were 18-23 years old, with many being much older. Implications and recommendations are provided.

The present study examined the representation of authors, illustrators, and characters of color in books for young children (6 years old and under) that (1) have won awards, (2) were purchased most often, and (3) were borrowed most often from libraries in the Netherlands from 2009 to 2018. Factors influencing the prominence of characters were explored. In total, 64 books and 2053 characters were coded, and representation statistics were compared to statistics of the national population. Results suggest a slight underrepresentation of authors of color as compared to population statistics, and an underrepresentation of characters of color as compared to the target audience. Results on some factors influencing prominence suggest that White characters and characters of color play an equally prominent role in the books. Results on other factors, however, suggest that characters of color, especially females, are less prominent in terms of their role in the story, whether they have a name, and in relation to the number of other characters in the book. The results provide an insight in to ethnic diversity in popular books for young children in the Netherlands, and show some room for improvement in terms of representation and prominence of characters of color, so that children of color might have more opportunities to identify with characters and that readers could be exposed to ethnic diversity as represented in society.

Purpose: This essay focuses on the Chinese-Japanese Library of the Harvard-Yenching Institute and examines how the Library collected and transported Chinese rare books to the United States during the 1930 and 1940s. It considers Harvard's rationale for its collection of Chinese books and tensions between Chinese scholars and the Harvard-Yenching Institute leaders and librarians over the purchase and "export" of Chinese books. Design/methodology/approach: This research is a historical study based on archival research at Harvard-Yenching Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Library, as well as careful readings of published primary and secondary sources. Findings: By examining the debates that surrounded the ownership of Chinese books, and the historical circumstances that enabled or hindered the cross-national movement of books, this essay uncovers a complex and interwoven historical discourse of academic nationalism, internationalism and imperialism. Originality/value: Drawing upon the unexamined primary sources and published second sources, this essay uncovers a complex and interwoven historical discourse of academic nationalism, internationalism and imperialism.

This study analyses fifteen months of circulation data from a popular titles collection at a regional campus undergraduate library. To better understand how popular titles collections in academic libraries are used, this data analysis shows a breakdown of use amongst the entire campus population (students, faculty, and staff). Faculty are the most frequent borrowers of items from this collection, followed by students and staff. Further analysis shows that fiction is more popular than nonfiction. Amongst circulated titles and in the broad fiction category, general literature and English literature are ranked highest. Young Adult literature is another category in which items frequently circulated. Finally, this article touches on the benefits of using a rental plan for leasing titles in a browsing collection, including a better ability to meet specific needs on campus or among student groups than with traditional acquisitions processes.

The digital environment has transformed how data on library material use is collected and reported, providing librarians with more information about usage but less clarity about how to interpret it. This article discusses current approaches to reporting and assessing library book use, addresses the question of what qualifies as a worthwhile use of library materials, and presents an analysis of four years of COUNTER 4 BR2 ebook reports at a single research institution to explore the reliability of page view-level usage data for collection assessment. It reveals ways assessment theory and practice fail to capture the value of library materials throughout the research lifecycle, and argues for an inclusive view of collections use.

This study examines the book selections of 22 Manhattan College librarians, faculty, and students who were asked to make "yes" or "no" decisions for 287 books reviewed in CHOICE. It focuses on four research questions. First, "What characteristics are associated with selected and nonselected books?" Although there is only modest agreement among selectors, "yes" decisions are associated with favorable reviews, appropriateness for lower-division undergraduates, reasonable price, publication by a university press, and the absence of caveats in the review. The results suggest that selectors are willing to relax certain selection criteria if others are exceeded, that selectors' generally favorable attitudes toward multidisciplinary works do not extend to all such books, and that titles in areas unfamiliar to the selector are less likely to be chosen. Second, "What are the key differences among the book selections of librarians, faculty, and undergraduates?" Although there are minor differences among all three groups, the main finding is that students' selections are relatively unpredictable and less closely linked to particular book and review characteristics. Third, "What are the key differences among the book selections of specialists (faculty and librarians) in the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities?" Although the three subject groups are similar in their yes/no decisions and in the characteristics of the books they choose, most selectors demonstrate a strong tendency to favor books in their own subject areas. Finally, "What individual characteristics are associated with effectiveness as a book selector?" Librarians and faculty are equally effective, overall. Faculty have an advantage among selectors without book selection experience, but the positive impact of experience is greater for librarians than for faculty. In contrast, students are relatively ineffective selectors, and their choices are not closely related to those of other students, faculty, or librarians.

School libraries have been in existence since at least the eighth century. However, it wasn't until the twentieth century that the school library was seen primarily as "a source of enrichment for the curriculum, and a means of developing reading and study habits in the pupils" (Clyde 1981, 263). While the formats available and tools for accessing information have changed, the school library's focus on providing access to quality content and designing engaging learning environments remains the same. It's likely that new formats for creating, organizing, and sharing ideas will continue to be invented, along with new ways to access this information. But as always, the excitement of hands-on, information-rich, project-based learning environments will continue to be the key to effective school library programs.

This study is the first of its kind to analyze and compare demand-driven acquisition (DDA) ebook programs on a large scale by using eight academic libraries. The purpose is to understand which factors contribute to successful collection management practices and sustainability. Study findings also offer insight into weeding practices and suggest that ebooks removed from the discovery pool too soon may impact service to library users. Furthermore, findings based on formula analysis show that return on investment (ROI) for serviceable content is better achieved through a sustained straight DDA model without short-term loans.

Construction management is a growing field with strong job prospects and expanding educational opportunities. It is closely related to business and engineering. This article provides an introduction and overview of collection development for academic librarians supporting construction management, from the perspective of the author's experiences at Florida Gulf Coast University. Information types specific to the field include building codes and cost data. Relevant journals, conferences, books, and databases are also discussed.

In 2010, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted by most states in the US. The authors of these standards called for a shift from previous standards by recommending that young children experience a 50-50 balance between informational and literary reading. For this mixed-methods study, researchers examined the contents of 23 first-grade classroom libraries 8 years after the implementation of the CCSS to determine the percentage of expository texts found in these libraries and if these percentages differed based on the SES of the school or the number of years a teacher had been teaching. In addition, researchers interviewed twelve selected classroom teachers to gain an understanding of how they selected books for their libraries and what influenced their decisions. Results indicated that 22.8% of the texts found in first-grade classroom libraries were expository and there was no difference based on SES of the school or years a teacher had been in the classroom. Teacher interviews indicated that book cost, reading level, student interest, and genre (both narrative and expository/nonfiction) influenced their library text selections. Only two teachers indicated that the CCSS impacted their book choices.

This article discusses the difficulties Kutztown University's Rohrbach Library- and many libraries- face when evaluating eBook collections, and the process used to overcome some of the obstacles to making meaningful comparisons. Two multidisciplinary eBook subscription packages, EBSCO and ProQuest, are the focus of this study. Data collected from COUNTER reports and the integrated library system were input into Excel to examine the data. The authors show a comparison of the two collections while including the tremendous challenges and limitations involved in the process. This article emphasizes the need for COUNTER standardization, more consistent data reporting, and collection quality evaluation methods.

This paper examines publisher ebook package use in the OhioLINK academic library consortium between 2007 and 2017 alongside use of the same titles at individual institutions. With nearly 100,000 titles acquired over 10+ years from three publishers and available to users at more than 90 institutions, the picture of ebook use this study presents is unique in its breadth and scope. The data show that, consortiumwide, close to 100 percent of titles were used, with their initial use overwhelmingly taking place within one year of their publication date. At individual institutions, the rate of use was far lower and never exceeded the rate of use of print books at the author's own institution. These findings have important implications for how institutions approach ebook acquisition to maximize rate of use of ebook collections.

Academic libraries often serve as the protectors of challenged books. Pressure on public libraries to remove controversial works can and often does result in the restriction of access or removal of the work from those libraries shelves. Academic libraries, however, operate with a stronger sense of academic and intellectual freedom. To analyze how well academic libraries do in acquiring and making available books which appear on the American Library Association's Challenged Books list, the list for 2007 was analyzed in WorldCat to determine the number and overall percentage of academic libraries holding the titles. Overall, 29.94% of the libraries holding challenged books were academic libraries. (Contains 39 endnotes and 7 tables.)

This paper asks if there is an optimal wait period for e-books that balances libraries' desire to acquire books soon after their publication with the frequent desire to purchase books electronically whenever feasible. Analyzing 13,043 titles that Temple University Libraries received on its e-preferred approval plan in 2014-15, the author looks at the delays from the publication of print books to publication of their electronic versions. The analysis finds that most books on the approval plan are published electronically within a week of the print. Recommended wait periods are provided for different subjects.