Overheard a librarian in Portland say they hide certain YA books behind the counter now

Was at the library downtown last week looking for a book my niece wanted and caught two librarians whispering about how they got told to pull some titles off the shelves. Not banned exactly but "relocated" so kids cant just grab them. Made me wonder how many other libraries are doing this quietly. Has anyone else seen this at their local branch?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_ward8810d ago

Honestly, should kids really have unfettered access to every book in the library? I get that censorship feels wrong, but some of those YA titles have graphic sex scenes and detailed descriptions of self-harm that are pretty intense for a 12-year-old to just stumble upon. Ngl, I remember finding a book at 14 that was way too heavy for me, and it messed with my head for weeks. Libraries are already struggling with funding and parents complaining, so maybe hiding a few controversial ones behind the counter is just a smart way to keep the peace without a big ban. Tbh, it's less about banning and more about a librarian using common sense to protect kids until they're old enough to handle certain topics.

brookerobinson9d ago

What a thoughtful point, but I gotta say it feels like we're always trying to bubble wrap kids from stuff that might actually help them grow. @eva_ward88, your story about that book messing with your head is real, but isn't that just part of learning what you can and can't handle? You see this same pattern everywhere, not just libraries. Schools ban certain topics in health class, parents block every website, and then kids hit high school or college totally unprepared for real life. Tbh, maybe a 12-year-old stumbling onto a heavy scene is less harmful than them getting their first taste of something serious from a TikTok trend or a random group chat where nobody's filtering anything.