How nationwide book banning, censorship are impacting students and libraries across the country

Photo Collage by Simrah Ahmad, Staff Photographer

A student-led panel at Chapman dived into the topic of book banning and censorship  on Feb. 26, examining how recent federal actions affect students and libraries.

The panel-style webinar featured three faculty speakers: Lynda Hall, an associate professor of English, Ian Barnard, professor of rhetoric and composition and Essraa Nawar, assistant dean for library development at the Leatherby Libraries.

Each of the faculty members spoke about their experiences with banned books. Hall, who taught a banned books themed first-year focus course (FFC), spoke about why she thinks people and governments try to ban books.

“Books have been banned since they were written,” Hall said. “It’s generally a case of the people with power not wanting the people that they rule over, be it a government or a religion, not to learn too much.” 

Book banning has been an increasingly prevalent issue throughout the country in recent years, with the American Library Association (ALA) reporting over 1,100 titles being looked at for censorship between January and August of last year.

The organization also notes on their website that the numbers could potentially be much higher, considering that the data presented only represents the censorship attempts that are brought to the ALA’s attention by concerned citizens or the press. 

“Why so much book banning in the past 10 to 15 years?” Hall said. “I think it was to do with some media to some extent, and partly the pandemic, and also the types of books that people are publishing now that weren’t published in the past.”

According to Hall, the combination of social media and at-home schooling from the pandemic gave parents more insight into what kids were learning in the classroom. This led to more parents advocating for book bans and censorship on the grounds of protecting their children from what they deem to be harmful or inappropriate material.

Many of the books being banned or censored include themes relating to people of color or feature LGBTQ+ characters. 

“It’s not just about funding cuts, but it’s also about directly targeting certain kinds of representations and certain kinds of communities,” Barnard said.

As the Trump administration transitions back into the federal government, many efforts have been made in relation to censorship of educational materials. Following President Donald Trump’s return to office, he issued a nationwide freeze in funding towards libraries, which has been blocked by federal judges. 

Additionally, government websites and online publications that include information about diversity, equity and inclusion have been wiped from the internet, a result of an executive order made by Trump. The transgender community has been one of the main demographics being hit by new orders, with the president’s order to “defend women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.”

The panelists spoke about how the Leatherby Libraries and other institutions have attempted to fight against the national actions.  

“We really need to support libraries and our librarians, who I think have been at the forefront of resisting censorship and book banning,” Barnard said.

As far as the role that libraries play, Nawar spoke about how these spaces defy censorship tactics, as well as how individuals can minimize the effects of bans on their own children.

“I’ve seen it done through committee work and through some service projects throughout the country,” Nawar said. “And sometimes it’s also done within families. At the end of the day, as a mother, exposing (my) own kids to different schools of thoughts is the best thing that I’ve done for my kids.”

With new national policies and uncertainty in federal funding, libraries and the programs they offer are at risk.  

“I worry about public libraries because again, it’s more than just the space for books and learning, but it’s also a safe space,” Nawar said.