‘It’s a small number of people who are very loud’: Local libraries grapple with book challenges, bans

Over the past few years, Librarian Sharon Coronado has been tested by select patrons who oppose the presence of certain voices in books at Ligonier Valley Library, particularly the voices of people of color and LGBTQ individuals.

In one instance, Coronado recalls, a group of parents came into the library with a list of talking points to challenge a selection of books. In another, a patron raised their voice amid the quiet of the library to express concern with an LGBTQ-related book.

But Coronado, who has served as the library director for one year, said these interactions are few and far between.

“It’s a small number of people who are very loud,” Coronado said.

In accordance with the library’s reconsideration policy, Coronado and other library staff members review all challenges that are brought to them and determine the best course of action, which could be moving a book to a new section, removing a book entirely or keeping it at its spot on the shelves.

“My role is to listen, no matter what the (patron) is saying,” Coronado said.

Coronado’s experience with book challenges is reflected across the country.

According to the American Library Association, there were 1,269 reported attempts in the United States to censor library books or resources in 2022 — up nearly 75% from the previous year. This is the highest number of attempted book bans since the association began compiling library censorship data more than 20 years ago.

Book challenges can be reported to the association at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4266.

Challenges occurred almost evenly between schools, at 51%, and public libraries, at 48%.

Pennsylvania has seen a jump in book challenges in recent years, according to the association. There were 15 reported book challenges in 2014, and a range of one to seven challenges each year from 2015 to 2020.

This number spiked to 58 in 2021 and held at 56 last year.

Challenges boost interest

Coincidentally, there is often a spike in circulation of a book if it becomes controversial on a national or local level, said Tracy Trotter, director of the Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe.

When “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” was banned by a Tennessee school board last year, Trotter noticed an increase in the number of patrons checking out the book.

The 1986 graphic novel — which portrays its characters as mice — is told through an interview between author Art Spiegelman and his father, a Holocaust survivor. The Tennessee school board disapproved of the language in the novel, as well as a scene that shows Spiegelman’s mother naked in a bathtub after she took her own life.

The same jump in interest occurred at the Murrysville Community Library when Franklin Regional’s school board voted in March 2022 to continue using “Persepolis” in ninth grade classrooms. A parent raised concerns about the literature, a graphic novel that recounts the author’s experience growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

Library Director Amy Riegner suspects the spike in circulation occurred because parents were curious about the book’s content and wanted to decide for themselves if it was worth banning.

Coronado agreed that curiosity plays a role in these spikes.

One patron challenged a selection of books included in the Ligonier Valley Library’s Pride Month display but later admitted they had not read them. The patron heard from the news or a friend that the books were controversial, Coronado said.

After Coronado explained why the library carried the books — citing that they were “award winners multiple times over” — the patron had a change of heart, Coronado said.

Although no parents challenged the availability of “Persepolis” at the Murrysville library, Riegner said book challenges at local school districts create a stressful situation for community libraries.

“We’re caught in the crossfire here, but we stick to our tenets,” Riegner said. “We live in a democratic society. We try to provide materials for all walks of life.”

Riegner acknowledged that patrons will inevitably disapprove of some content in the library.

“Some people may like (our book selections). Some people may not like them,” Riegner said. “We’re a public institution, so we will expect complaints from time to time.”

For Beth Mellor, listening to these complaints is essential.

“Our libraries are community-­facing,” said Mellor, director of Oakmont Carnegie Library. “When you are dealing with children, it is so important that you know what’s going on and that you listen.”

The Oakmont library keeps a record of what types of content parents do not want their child to read, Mellor said. This prevents the child from checking out a book that goes against the parent’s wishes.

Oakmont Carnegie Library has seen five book challenges since Mellor became director in 2010. She said some patrons have found content in 1800s books that comes across as offensive today, but the majority of the complaints surround LGBTQ content.

“In most instances, it’s not anything overt at all, but the parent is concerned,” Mellor said.

Patrons who have challenged books have always respected the library’s assessment of the complaint, she added.

“We don’t force anyone to read anything, and we really try to reach a balanced collection,” Mellor said. “We do take input from the community on our collection.”

Challenges limited

From her experience with the Westmoreland Library Network, Andrews said the number of book challenges seen across the county is outweighed by local school districts and libraries in other parts of the state.

“I don’t believe we are seeing the volume that other libraries in the nation are experiencing,” Andrews said.

She added that book challenges are not inherently wrong as long as patrons and staff follow the library’s reconsideration policy.

Library directors from the Murrysville Community Library, the Scottdale Public Library, the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe, the Norwin Public Library, the Vandergrift Public Library, the Leechburg Public Library and the Peoples Library in New Kensington said they have had few or no official book challenges in recent years.

The Leechburg Public Library has not experienced any challenges in recent years and does not have a need for a reconsideration policy, said director Patti Kalsnick.

“If people don’t want to read (certain books), they won’t read them,” she said.

School districts may see more book challenges than public libraries because they have different goals for the literature they supply, said Jamie Falo, Greensburg Hempfield Area Library director.

“We’re a lot different than a school library because we serve the whole public,” Falo said.

Mirroring this sentiment, Andrews explained that libraries are ungoverned by the county and “charged with having a sort of balance.”

School book challenges

Many of the library association’s Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022 can be found within the Westmoreland Library Network, which encompasses 26 libraries across the county.

This includes the book title slated No. 1 on the association’s most challenged list: “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe.

The 2019 graphic novel, which recounts the author’s exploration of her gender identity and sexuality, is available at the Penn Area Library in Penn Township, according to the library network’s online catalog.

Books challenged during local school board meetings can also be found within the county network, according to the catalog.

Though it was challenged by a group of Norwin School Board members in February, several copies of “Al Capone Does My Shirts” by Gennifer Choldenko are available in the network. Two copies are available at the Norwin Public Library.

The same is true for “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold, which was challenged by a Norwin school board member last October. The children’s book, which features drawings of same-sex couples with children and interracial couples, is available at the Norwin Public Library.

Both books were permitted to remain in the curriculum.

Norwin School Board President Darlene Ciocca declined to comment on the district’s book challenge policy.

The Hempfield Area School Board, which faced book challenges by parents in March 2022, approved an updated book challenge policy at its Aug. 14 meeting.

Hempfield board President Paul Ward could not be reached for comment.

Although Coronado is disheartened by the increase in book challenges across the country, she and the Ligonier Valley Library staff are comforted by the members of the community who have rallied around librarians.

“It’s very stressful professionally and it’s disappointing in terms of being an American to see some people devolve into authoritarianism,” Coronado said, “but I can say, as a positive, a lot of community members have approached us with support.”