My local library in Springfield pulled a book I donated about protest movements

I gave them a copy of 'Voices from the Square' last month, a collection of essays from the 2011 protests. The head librarian told me it was 'too politically charged' for the general collection and would be 'archived'. I used to believe public libraries were the last bastions of open information. Now I see they can be gatekeepers too. Has anyone else had a book or material quietly removed like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_eva2d ago

That's wild they used the term 'archived'. Did the librarian explain what that actually means in their system? Like, is it in a back room no one can access, or is it just not on the main shelf? It feels like a way to hide something without saying they're removing it.

miller.avery2d ago

Ugh, that's so shady. @the_eva you're totally right, it feels like a sneaky way to pull a book without saying they're banning it. My local library archives stuff into a storage room you need special permission to enter, so it's basically gone for most people. They make it sound so official but it's just hiding things.