Colorado’s public libraries face a rising number of requests to ban or restrict access to books, programs or displays, mirroring trends across the country as conservative movements target books and programming with LGBTQ and race-related themes.
So far, though, these attempts to censor library books in Colorado appear to be largely unsuccessful amid backlash by outspoken community members
Libraries across the nation have seen efforts by a vocal, growing political movement seeking to restrict access to books on gay communities, race, history, sexuality and reproductive health, according to a new report from the American Library Association. They use social media to disseminate lists of books they disapprove of so followers can challenge them at their local public and school libraries, the report said.
Preliminary 2023 data from the American Library Association shows 136 titles were challenged in eight separate attempts to restrict access to books in Colorado libraries between January and August.
In 2022, the American Library Asociation reported 56 titles were challenged in 17 different requests to Colorado libraries, a 240% increase over the five titles challenged in five attempts recorded in 2018
The Colorado Department of Education’s Library Research Service tracks an even broader data set, including requests to limit access to or remove books, programs and events — including things like book displays that celebrate Pride month. The service documented a 500% increase — from 20 to 120 — between 2021 and 2022 in the number of challenges to materials or services provided in Colorado’s public libraries.
LGBTQ content was the most cited reason for book or event challenges in Colorado, according to the Library Research Service, accounting for 20% of last year’s 120 challenges. “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe was the most commonly challenged book, with 11 requests to limit access. The most frequently challenged event was drag queen story hour, with 38 challenges reported, according to Library Research Service.
Neither the state nor the American Library Association reported how many of the attempts to curb access to library materials were successful.
However, a number of events in the past year have made news in Colorado:
- Douglas County Libraries’ trustees voted in August to keep four books with LGBTQ themes on the shelves following a challenge by the founder of conservative group Freedom Fathers
- The Garfield County Library District last month rejected a patron’s request to place Japanese graphic novels — some with LGBTQ themes — on a top shelf away from children
- The town of Wellington’s Board of Trustees passed a measure that effectively bans book bans after a request to move 19 titles away from children drew outrage
- In Colorado Springs’ Academy School District 20, parents requested several books be removed from school libraries for allegedly being “obscene.” But the titles eventually were returned to shelves after someone requested the removal of the Bible.
- And a Weld County library district agreed to pay $250,000 to a librarian fired over LGBTQ programming after a state civil rights investigation found the district discriminated against the librarian
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, said the increase in attempted book bans and censorship across the country is an attack on a public good.
“Public libraries are community institutions where everyone should be able to find a wide range of ideas and information reflected on the shelves,” Caldwell-Stone said. “We’re seeing an effort to turn libraries into places of indoctrination rather than education — only approving stories that meet the agenda of particular partisan advocacy groups or elected officials essentially telling us what we can think and know about. That’s an absolute violation of our First Amendment rights.”
A town bans book bans
Nationwide, the American Library Association recorded 696 attempts to censor library materials and services between January and August of this year, with 1,915 titles challenged.
That’s a 20% increase over the same time period in 2022, and already represents a new record for the number of book challenges in a single year since the association began tracking the data more than 20 years ago.
Last year, a book brouhaha embroiled Wellington, a fast-growing town of more than 11,700 people north of Fort Collins in Larimer County.
Wellington resident Christine Gaiter came across a list of books online branded as containing sexually graphic materials that could be inappropriate for children. She said it reminded her of a childhood incident in which she checked out a book from the library that appeared to be about ballerinas, but it ended up containing sex scenes.
“My reason is to protect children,” Gaiter told The Denver Post. “Right now, the books aren’t marked, so unless a parent knows the content of every book, they could possibly check one out not knowing there is objectionable material they don’t want their child to read. I want to allow parents to choose what is best for their children.”
Gaiter attended an August 2022 public meeting of the Wellington Board of Trustees — an elected body on which her husband Jon Gaiter serves as a member — and requested 19 book titles at the town’s public library be marked as sexually explicit and placed out of reach of children.
The titles included “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer.
“People argued that I was trying to ban the books and that it was against their First Amendment rights,” Gaiter said. “The problem with that theory is the library can’t possibly hold all the books in the world so, right now, they’re actively banning books because they’re choosing some books over others on their shelves… Just because you’re removing a book from a publicly-funded place doesn’t get rid of your First Amendment right to go read it elsewhere.”
Wellington Trustee Rebekka Dailey said the saga unfolded over a couple of public meetings last year in which book ban supporters and a large number of dissenters turned out for public comment, sharing personal testimony on the matter.
“I’ve never seen such a passionate outcry,” Dailey said. “We’re a nice, small town, and this had really riled everyone. They posed it as if the library had an intent to distribute what they called ‘pornographic materials’ to children. People were crying, applauding, cheering, engaged. People were reliving childhood memories or sharing their worst moments in front of a crowd. You couldn’t help but be emotional because it felt like an attack on an innocent party.”
Wellington resident Heather Zadina and her 12-year-old daughter Sienna attended one of the meetings to speak out against restricting book access.
The Zadinas are a family of bookworms. Sienna’s favorite reads include the Harry Potter series, the Twilight books and Nancy Drew.
“I basically told them they can’t tell me what I can and can’t read,” Sienna told The Post. “I said that it’s sad that I have to grow up in a society where innocent books are banned.”
Heather Zadina said when a child reads something, it provides an opportunity to discuss what they have questions about.
“Whether it’s sexually explicit material, violence, history — that’s a wonderful opportunity to talk to your child and something the government should not be involved in,” she said.
In September of last year, the Wellington trustees voted in favor of a resolution presented by Dailey that prevents the board from restricting library materials — a ban on book bans, as it was referred to colloquially. Jon Gaiter voted against the resolution and another trustee abstained.
Christine Gaiter said she still believes in her proposal to remove certain books from kids’ reach because they’re too sexually explicit, but said she wouldn’t push for it in her community again.
“The resolution didn’t impact my life at all,” Christine Gaiter said. “It’s just a statement. I will still check the books my kids want to read against trusted sources and pick those out. The resolution did nothing.”
“This is my calling”
Caldwell-Stone, of the American Library Association, said the organization has tracked heightened attempts to “demonize” libraries and librarians across the country by attacking them on social media, making unfounded bomb threats to library buildings and calling for librarians to lose their jobs.
“We need to call on communities to support their libraries and librarians,” Caldwell-Stone said. “To go to board meetings, speak out in favor of the library and freedom to read and push back against that vocal minority demanding censorship of books.”
Information on how to best counter book censorship demands can be found at uniteagainstbookbans.org, Caldwell-Stone said.
Community members have called for James LaRue, executive director of the Garfield County Public Library District, to lose his job after a censorship dustup on the Western Slope.
For about a year, LaRue has opposed calls for adult Japanese graphic novels — some with LGBTQ themes — in Garfield County libraries to be stored on a top shelf away from children.
“We don’t shelve our collections by height,” LaRue told The Post. “We have no record of a child trying to check these out.”
LaRue put together a committee of library staff from different branches who have read the books to determine whether they should be retained, reclassified or removed. So far, LaRue said, his staff has recommended to keep the books as they are.
The fight over the Japanese graphic novels has popped up in monthly public meetings of the Garfield County Libraries Board of Trustees, during which some residents argued to burn the books or asked the library to reconsider LaRue’s employment, while others stood in solidarity with the county’s librarians.
The ongoing debate — residents have appealed the librarian’s decision to retain the books — isn’t new to LaRue, who previously served as executive director of the American Libraries Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation.
“I love the library,” LaRue said. “This is my calling. I can’t be quiet as people come in and try to muzzle voices they don’t want to hear.”
If someone is concerned about the contents of a particular book, LaRue said the great thing about a library is they can simply check out a different one.
“You have the right to supervise your child’s reading, but only your child’s,” LaRue said. “This is where you come when you get curious about the world. Libraries have meaning in public life. It requires a bit of courage to stand up to the mob and say, ‘No, we know what our job is, and we’re going to do it.'”
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