Contemporary Library Censorship Tactics: Reviewing the Literature

Abstract

Library censorship efforts in the U.S. have broken records annually since 2021, spurred by social, technological, and political developments. These censorship efforts most frequently target diverse media representing Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and/or lesbian, gay, bisexual+, trans+, queer, intersex, and asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) communities in and at libraries. The current surge in attempts to censor library materials constitutes part of a greater conservative political strategy in the contemporary culture wars. This literature review analyzes the academic and professional literature alongside the gray literature regarding these censorship efforts to make sense of these trends. By investigating bodies of knowledge produced and shared by library professionals and conservative censors, this research aims to situate future questions regarding moral panics over library materials. This literature review found several indicators that the increasing incidents of library censorship meet at least some of the criteria which may constitute a moral panic.

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