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At What Age Freedom?

Collection Building

ISSN: 0160-4953

Article publication date: 1 March 1979

185

Abstract

At what age should children and teenagers have access to certain subject materials and/or the adult collection in libraries? Parents, school teachers and administrators, organized and unorganized religious, politicians, and the judiciary are among those willing to expound on their firm conviction that certain materials and subjects are harmful to the young. There are also those who, although uncertain about the effect of certain materials and subjects, are willing to opt for restricting access for the young and to demand that librarians be responsible for policing such action. Librarians generally share these ambivalent feelings about library materials and access for children and young adults. Aware of the possible adverse reaction of adults if alleged controversial materials are placed either in the children's or the young adult collection, librarians often choose not to select such materials. A recent letter to American Libraries suggested that librarians place controversial children's or young adult material into adult collections only, thus avoiding confrontations with those adults concerned about “harmful” matter reaching minors. The writer stated that everyone would win; the material would be available, but objections based on access to the material by the young would be thwarted. The writer did not seem to anticipate problems in determining at what age the young person would be allowed access to the adult collection containing this material, nor was a method proposed for defining either controversial or noncontroversial material. However, the “way out” proposed is actually used by some public libraries in the U.S., although a cursory look at library problems over objections to library materials for the young reveals titles and subjects that would be classified as noncontroversial by many.

Citation

Shields, G.R. and Robotham, J. (1979), "At What Age Freedom?", Collection Building, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 18-33. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb023028

Publisher

:

MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1979, MCB UP Limited

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