The latest issue of free newspaper HopeDance (which describes itself as “Radical Solutions Inspiring Hope”) has been removed from the shelves of San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA, for being too explicit. The director of the library, Brian Reynolds, apparently ordered the removal of the issue due to “graphical illustrations”. The Library Journal has more information about the circumstances of the publications removal (including the great response from an unnamed librarian about creating an information DVD from the situation).

Certain segments of the library blogging community have noticed that the issue is still available online (and is all the more enticing for all the attention). My favourite article title is Liberating the Caged Female
Human Animal’s Sexuality , although there are certainly some tough competition.

This is not the first time that Libraries have been subject to either public complaints or self-censorship (or the fatal combination of the two), particularly in the US. Earlier this year, the Miami school board attempted to ban a children’s book about Cuba from school library shelves. and various Harry Potter fan clubs have often had to defend the books from attacks from the Christian Right. Publisher’s Weekly saw fit to publish a guide for libraries to avoid censorship routinely faced by the graphic novel sector.

A list of the most challenged books is maintained by the American Library Association.

And the count down to Banned Books Week begins.