Banned Book & Censorship Resources

Books May Lead You to Think...

Introduction

As long as humans have sought to communicate, others have sought to prevent them. Every day someone tries to restrict or control what can be said, written, sung, or broadcast. Almost every idea ever thought has proved objectionable to one person or another, and almost everyone has sometimes felt the world would be a better place if only "so and so" would go away.

Perhaps because of their ubiquity, books, especially public and school library books, are among the most visible targets. Books are hardly the only target of would-be censors, however. Free expression is constantly challenged in the arts, in broadcast media, and on the Internet.

What's at this site:

The following pages list Internet and print resources to help you learn more about censorship in its many guises.

General Censorship Resources

Free expression or censorship as broad concerns, with less emphasis on specific media

Book Censorship

Citations and links focusing on book censorship and challenges

Censorship in Other Media

Free expression on the Internet and television/radio, as well as in music, art, etc.

Free Expression & U.S. Law

Resources on the extensive history of First Amendment debate and case law in the United States

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Freedom of Religion

Freedom of Speech and of the Press

Freedom of Assembly/Association

Right to Petition the Government

Freedom of Information Act

Selected Court Decisions

Organizations

Primarily links to organizations with emphatic viewpoints on censorship issues

Free Expression Outside the United States

Censorship and free speech issues around the world, mostly from the countries in question

Selected Print Resources

A selective bibliography of books and articles available in bookstores and libraries.

Archive of [Censorship] Cases http://www.thefileroom.org/fileroom/documents/return.html: "Was there a time or place in history in which censorship did not exist? Was there ever a group of human beings that was able to survive without censure? ... Despite the impossible nature of attempting to define censorship, The File Room is a project that proposes to address it, providing a tool for discussing and coming to terms with cultural censorship."
Censorship and Intellectual Freedom Page http://php.indiana.edu/~quinnjf/censor.html: An annotated collection of links maintained by Frank Quinn at the University of Indiana
The Censorship Pages http://www.booksatoz.com/censorship/index.htm: "Here you will find information about the freedom of speech and of the press in reference to the written word. These pages provide the resources needed to explore how, and why censorship happens not only in the United States, but all around the world." An excellent resource, despite a slightly cluttered design.
Dealing with Sensitive Materials on the Internet http://horizon.nmsu.edu/101/pornography.html: "With the emergence of ... the World Wide Web, and the introduction of the Internet to the classroom, more and more children are taking advantage of the power of the Internet. Its potential for education, communication, and a sense of global community is practically limitless. However, the Internet remains largely an adult forum, and so it carries with it adult subjects. This raises the question: what happens when the adult themes and a child's naive explorations meet?" This notably sane site includes resources and "practical suggestions on what you can do as a parent or teacher to protect your children while keeping the Internet unregulated."
Free Expression Clearinghouse http://www.FreeExpression.org/: "The Free Expression Network (FEN) is an alliance of organizations dedicated to protecting the First Amendment right of free expression and the values it represents, and to opposing governmental efforts to suppress constitutionally protected speech. ... FEN maintains [this] web site ... to provide information about First Amendment issues to the public at large."
Freedom, Discipline, and Censorship http://www.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/censorship.html: A brief list of links collected by Martin Ryder, School of Education at the University of Colorado–Denver; unfortunately, this page has not been updated in a very long time, so caveat browser.
Index on Censorship http://www.oneworld.org/index_oc/index.html: "Index on Censorship, the bi-monthly magazine for free speech, widens the debates on freedom of expression with some of the world's best writers. Through interviews, reportage, banned literature and polemic, Index shows how free speech affects the issues of the moment." This has a nice international flavor.
Independent Media Institute http://www.alternet.org/: "A nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting independent and alternative journalism, and to improving the public's access to independent information sources. Believes that democracy is enhanced, and public debate broadened, as more voices are heard and points of view made available."
Know Your Enemies http://www.eff.org/pub/Groups/BCFE/bcfenatl.html: Short profiles and contact information for individuals and groups which have, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "been in the forefront of recent attacks on free expression and the arts."
ProjectCensored http://www.projectcensored.org/: Project Censored claims its primary objective is "to explore and publicize the extent of censorship in our society by locating stories about significant issues of which the public should be aware, but is not, for one reason or another." This is intended "to stimulate responsible journalists" and "to encourage the general public to ... seek information from other sources."
Quotations On Censorship http://www.best.com/~cgd/home/anticens.htm: Charles Daney's page provides several dozen quotations, and an extensive set of links to other sites; unfortunately, he seems not to have updated this for several years, so you can expect some broken links.
See/Hear/Speak No Evil http://www.xnet.com/~paigeone/noevil/noevil.html: This site is compiled and maintained by Bill Paige, a former United Press International reporter and Playboy publicist; although he covers or provides links to information on all sorts of censorship topics, there seems to be a slant towards free speech in music and recordings. Not the most attractive Web pages ever served, but the information is interesting.
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression http://www.tjcenter.org/: The Thomas Jefferson Center, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is devoted to the defense of free expression in all its forms. "Recognizing that threats to free expression come from all parts of the political spectrum, the Center maintains a nonpartisan stance...." Founded in 1990, the Center "focuses national attention on especially egregious affronts to free expression by awarding Jefferson Muzzles to responsible individuals or organizations. The Center also recognizes those who have shown extraordinary devotion to the principles of free expression through its William J. Brennan, Jr., Award."