Toronto Public Library joins anti-book banning movement
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The Toronto Public Library has joined the Book Sanctuary movement to protect controversial works that might otherwise be banned.
The library’s Book Sanctuary collection makes available to the public 50 titles that are subject to censoring pressures in North America — everything from All Boys Aren’t Blue to Fifty Shades of Grey to Zombie Butts from Uranus.
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“TPL is proud to join the Book Sanctuary movement, declaring all of our spaces — in our 100 branches and online — as Book Sanctuaries,” the library said in a statement Wednesday. “Simply put, whether in branches or online, TPL is a safe space for all stories. We’ve created the Book Sanctuary Collection, representing books that have been challenged, censored or removed from a public library or school in North America.”
Freedom to Read Week is Feb. 19-25.
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A core value of public libraries is the right to read, seek information and speak freely as protected in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the statement says.
While the rapid increase in intellectual freedom challenges in the past year has mainly been seen in the United States, there are some disturbing trends emerging in Canada. Challenges are coming from all sides of the political and social spectrum.
“Libraries are facing challenges on a wide range of issues, not just with physical materials such as books, music and movies, but also with programs, e-content, Internet access, room bookings and exhibits,” the statement says. “In particular, there are increasing demands to cancel programs in an effort to shut down topics, issues, experiences and speakers that some find offensive. Examples include demands to cancel drag queen story times or programs on topics such as drug use or populist political movements.”
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Toronto Public Library is also expanding its On Civil Society program series to explore the topic of intellectual freedom.
Examples of titles on the Book Sanctuary List are And Tango Makes Three about two male penguins adopting a baby penguin, Atonement despite a complaint that it would encourage poor writing, Crank which has been frequently challenged and banned due to its depiction of drug use and sexual content, The Glass Castle which deals with alcoholism and abuse, The Golden Compass for allegedly promoting atheism, and The Handmaid’s Tale banned in one U.S. state as morally bankrupt.
The library says one Torontonian tried to get Matthew and the Midnight Tow Truck banned arguing it taught kids it was okay to talk to strangers and get in their vehicles as the main character has a dream in which he helps a tow truck driver.
George Orwell’s 1984, a popular target of book banners, also made the list.
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