Restricted Classification Discussion

This question came over the Public Library Network and it raised a good discussion that I wanted to share with you:

Dear Colleagues
I have one book in the collection with the following information attached to the front cover:
RESTRICTED CLASSIFICATION
THIS TITLE IS RESTRICTED TO PERSONS 18 YEARS AND OVER
The book in question is American psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
I can find no record of a restricted classification recorded in the Australian government classification database, so I was wondering if any other libraries hold this title and, if so, do you restrict its borrowing??



One answer came back very quickly from the State Library:

American psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is restricted as a result of the national classification scheme in Australia see
http://tiny.cc/eziY2 for details of its classification.

The Classification web site has a searchable database so that you can check if any title is under restricted access http://www.oflc.gov.au/www/cob/classification.nsf

Another comment:

Wow, that's a blast from the past. Quite controversial when it came out in 1991, at one point it looked like it would be banned outright. Certainly generated a lot of interest in the author and the book. There are only 8 holdings listed on LA so there aren't many copies around. I believe that you are legally required to restrict lending of the item to people under the age of 18 years. It must be shelved in such a way as to reasonably limit access to people under 18. It gets a bit grey around that last bit and that's really where you need to make a decision about what your local community would think reasonable. Closed stack access, or open shelving in the "adult section".We had a similar predicament with Kubrick's Clockwork Orange, a classic but restricted all the same.

And finally, a legislative answer, also from the State Library of NSW:

There are two pieces of legislation for NSW public library staff to be aware of re: items that have MA material and restricted classifications, ie:

(a) a film classified MA 15+ or R 18+
(b) a publication classified Category 1 restricted or Category 2 restricted
(c) a computer game classified MA 15+ or RC

COMMONWEALTH:
Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 (Cth)

NSW:
Public Library Exemption under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Enforcement Act 1995 (NSW)
The two Library Council of NSW publications that will be of most assistance are:

1. Library Council of New South Wales | Children's Policy Guidelines for NSW public libraries
(a simple summary of the relevant sections from both pieces of legislation is listed in Appendix 2 and Appendix 2a pp.14-15)
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/library_mgt/lib_management_docs/childrens_%20policy_%20guidelines.pdf
2. Library Council of New South Wales | Access to Information in New South Wales Public Libraries Guideline
(describes the role of NSW public libraries in relation to censorship)
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_libraries/policies/docs/accesstoinformation2007.pdf

What are your thoughts on Censorship?

Self-censorship study results

The School Library Journal (US) undertook at study late last year on self-censorship among school librarians. The anonymous survey was emailed to 5,438 of SLJ’s Extra Helping subscribers in November 2008. The results are based on 654 school libraries responding and they are broken down as follows: 53% elementary school librarians, 37% middle school librarians, 30% high school librarians, and 5% other.

The SLJ survey found that 70% of librarians say they won’t buy certain controversial titles simply because they’re terrified of how parents will respond. Other common reasons for avoiding possible troublemakers include potential backlash from the administration (29%), the community (29%), or students (25%) and a whopping 23% of librarians say they won’t purchase a book due to personal objections - now I find that very disappointing.

Some librarians bypass good books—those with literary merit or that fill a need in their collections, the reasons ranging from a book’s sexual content and gay themes to its language and violence—and it happens in more libraries (public and school) than you think. This article, A dirty little secret : self-censorship, also from the School Library Journal is just one case study on the topic. The comments also make interesting reading.