Library trustees are expected to detail a plan on Monday to scrutinize some children’s books in the town’s public collection for so-called questionable content.
According to an agenda item posted in advance of next week’s meeting, Pahrump Community Library trustees will deliberate on a proposal that would “re-catalog books from the area of the library that is dedicated to youth services, based upon the book’s educational suitability, appropriateness to age and grade level.”
It’s unclear which books could be up for debate, or who is bringing the item before the trustees, but critics say it’s a move that could lead to censorship at the public library.
Library director Vana Anderson told the Pahrump Valley Times on Tuesday that she doesn’t know what will be spoken about at Monday’s board meeting.
“While I have personally been given a complaint on books we have, I have been assured by our chair that he is against banning books,” she said.
Anderson declined to provide the complaint on Tuesday and instead referred the PVT to the library board chair for more information.
The PVT emailed library trustees on Tuesday morning and asked them to provide more context on their upcoming agenda item to re-catalog children’s books. A response had not been received from any of the library board’s five members by Friday morning.
Books targeted nationwide
In the past few years, books in the public collections at several libraries have come under intense scrutiny.
Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2022, the American Library Association documented 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources nationwide, and reported that 1,651 titles were targeted.
In 2021, the ALA reported 729 attempts to censor public library resources, targeting 1,597 books, which represented the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling these lists more than 20 years ago.
“The unprecedented number of challenges we’re seeing reflects coordinated, national efforts to silence marginalized or historically underrepresented voices and deprive all of us – young people, in particular – of the chance to explore a world beyond the confines of personal experience,” says ALA President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada.
ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed with its Office for Intellectual Freedom by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States, according to the organization’s website. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the organization says the 2022 data compiled by ALA represents only a snapshot of book censorship throughout the year.
Most targeted book in the U.S.
During the 2021-2022 school year, more than 1,600 books were banned from school libraries. The bans affected 138 school districts in 32 states, according to a report from PEN America, an organization dedicated to protecting free expression in literature.
The most banned book of the 2021-2022 school year was “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe. It was removed from bookshelves on at least 41 separate instances, according to PEN America.
Kobabe wrote the memoir about a journey through gender identity and sexuality. There are a few explicit illustrations depicting Kobabe’s sexual discovery. Many parents and conservative media figures have complained about the book.
This is a developing story.
Contact Editor Brent Schanding at bschanding@pvtimes.com