Censorship By Exclusion

How Silence and Self-Censorship Shrink Library Access Without a Single Ban

https://aischoollibrarian.substack.com/p/censorship-by-exclusion

“In its 2023 national survey, SLJ reported that:

• 47 percent of school librarians said they voluntarily removed books from their collections, without a formal challenge.
• 37 percent said book challenges influenced their purchasing decisions, meaning they avoided buying certain titles because of anticipated backlash.
• Librarians cited fear of complaints, administrative pressure, and public scrutiny as factors shaping their decisions.

SLJ described this as a chilling effect on librarianship, where concern about controversy narrows access before any official process is triggered.

The full report, “Book Challenges Are Having a Chilling Effect on School Librarians Nationwide,” is available here:
https://www.slj.com/story/Book-Challenges-Are-Having-a-Chilling-Effect-on-School-Librarians-Nationwide-SLJ-Survey“