Tag Archives: reading

Turning the Page on Censorship: Navigating Freedom to Read in Fourth Wing and Beyond

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By Rebecca Murray

From fantasy to historical fiction, contemporary authors are incorporating the topic of banned and challenged books in their writing. In Rebecca Yarros’s popular Fourth Wing, a would-be archivist is thrust into the perilous world of dragon riders and, along the way (spoiler), uncovers the truth about a “rare” (i.e., banned) book passed down through her family. Meanwhile, Kate Thompson’s The Wartime Book Club follows a courageous librarian in German-occupied Jersey who smuggles books to her neighbours during the Second World War. Through these tales, both authors bring the issue of censorship to the forefront, celebrating heroines who share forbidden stories and defend the right to read.

However, one need not look to fictional realms or even historical accounts to grasp the importance of this issue. Established in 1984, Freedom to Read Week is an annual campaign that sheds light on the covert nature of censorship, raising awareness about the challenges faced by publication and library programs within our very own communities.

Did you know that even seemingly banal works such as The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm and Bambi have been challenged internationally? The history of censorship and challenges to books and other publications is long and varied both here in Canada and abroad. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) plays a unique role amongst Canadian libraries, preserving copies of all books published in Canada—including audio and electronic formats—to ensure these stories remain accessible for future generations.

Read on to learn about key themes in Freedom to Read Week’s history and how they relate to LAC’s mandate and involvement in the campaign.

Photograph of rows of shelves filled with books.

Access copies of books and other publications preserved at Library and Archives Canada. Photograph: Rebecca Murray, Library and Archives Canada.

School libraries

Classrooms and school libraries are often subject to book challenges due to wide-sweeping policies and book-specific complaints. Since the inception of Freedom to Read Week, numerous challenges in school settings have been documented with responses ranging from training teachers on how to address sensitive topics in literature, to stopping the removal of books from libraries to board meetings drawing hundreds of attendees and, in extreme cases, even book burnings.

National library collections, like the one at LAC, differ from public and school libraries in that they are non-circulating (outside of our reading rooms) and not influenced by public demand or policy changes. As a result, the removal of books from other libraries or schools does not affect the holdings at LAC.

Works about censorship

From the earliest days of Freedom to Read Week to now, writers and thinkers have explored the topic of censorship in Canada, examining its impact across literature, libraries, cinema, and beyond. These important works allow us to trace the history of censorship and publication bans in Canada, offering valuable perspectives on how these issues have evolved over time.

Examples in LAC’s published holdings include Dictionnaire de la censure au Québec: Littérature et cinéma (2006), by Pierre Hébert, Kenneth Landry and Yves Lever; Fear of Words: Censorship and the Public Libraries of Canada (1995), by Alvin Schrader; and Women Against Censorship (1985), by Varda Burstyn.

Three books displayed on a tabletop.

Dictionnaire de la censure au Québec: Littérature et cinéma (2006), by Pierre Hébert, Kenneth Landry and Yves Lever; Fear of Words: Censorship and the Public Libraries of Canada (1995), by Alvin Schrader; and Women Against Censorship (1985), by Varda Burstyn.
Photograph: Rebecca Murray, Library and Archives Canada.

Shifting trends

When we think of classic fairy tales and stories like Bambi, it might be hard to imagine how anyone could find fault with them. Yet, as our society evolves, so do our perceptions of what is considered offensive or appropriate. Ideas about acceptable content are always shifting, and this is evident in various policies and debates: from decisions on whether to include graphic novels (often referred to as comic books) in public libraries, to petitions seeking to revoke awards from past literary winners, to the regulations on importing and selling certain publications in Canada. These changes are part of a broader historical trend that will undoubtedly continue. By examining data on content challenges reported by librarians on the front lines, we can observe how these societal attitudes evolve over time.

You can read all about Freedom to Read Week’s history in Canada and find out about other challenged titles on the campaign’s website.

The 41st edition of Freedom to Read Week will take place from February 23rd to March 1st, 2025. Stay up to date on the campaign and related events.

Rebecca Murray is a Literary Programs Advisor in the Outreach and Engagement Branch at Library and Archives Canada.

Diversity and the Freedom to Read: Who’s Missing?

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By Liane Belway

Readers and writers across Canada will celebrate Freedom to Read Week this February 18–24. This annual event raises awareness about access to books for all Canadians and about how published material can be challenged, all in support of the fundamental right of Canadians to freedom of expression. One way to gain perspective on the freedom to read is to ask the simple question: who’s missing?

Readers have opportunities to read material that reflects the diversity of Canadian authors, readers and communities, with increased opportunities to discover even more. Now more than ever, we celebrate and support this discovery. For instance, did you know that Canada has our very own Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) to celebrate Canadian and international authors? The FOLD even includes a monthly challenge to encourage readers to explore diverse authors and books. Spoiler alert: February’s challenge is to read a book that has been challenged in Canadian schools!

Social media is another great place to find diversity in Canadian books and reading. On some platforms, a quick search with keywords and hashtags devoted to discussing all things bookish will produce a wealth of reading recommendations. Some videos and other content celebrate and critique diverse and exciting books, sometimes bringing them to a mainstream audience that might otherwise have not had the chance to learn about them. Other social media posts include critical and often passionate discussions about why people love, and sometimes don’t love, certain books, all with an eye for the inclusion of ideas and voices and, of course, that encourage people to read! Reading diverse material is one of the best defenses against book challenges, as well as misinformation, misunderstanding, and generally missing out on so many interesting, moving and often award-winning books.

Chairs circling a table in the middle of a room surrounded by shelves with books.

Making sure there are enough seats to discuss diversity in Canadian books (a064449).

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has always played a unique role in the protection of the freedom to read and in the preservation of Canada’s voices. Diversity takes work, and LAC strives to include and protect all voices, including taking steps to better reflect the realities of the past for the benefit of the present and the future. One example is determining what we might have missed or not fully represented historically, and then working to change that, improving both the collection and the experience of readers and researchers. As Canada’s national library, LAC’s role will also be changing and expanding this year to become a campaign partner for Freedom to Read Week.

For forty years, the Book and Periodical Council (BPC) has been championing Freedom to Read Week. Now LAC, along with the Canadian Urban Library Council and the Ontario Library Association, proudly joins BPC in the important work to support the Canadian freedom to read. In addition, LAC aims to facilitate co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge in Canada.

LAC also works tirelessly to preserve the diverse documentary heritage of all Canadians. We collect and make accessible published works that reflect this rich variety and depth. LAC’s mandate includes the monumental task of acquiring copies of Canadian publications. There are a few rules, of course! The Library and Archives of Canada Act requires us to collect works published in Canada: under the Act, a publisher who makes a publication available in Canada must submit copies to LAC in order to make the publication available to the public. This process includes steps like LAC accepting second physical copies, when required, and digital publications in non-proprietary formats to ensure long-term preservation for future generations. LAC also works to collect and preserve publications in formats accessible to all readers.

Did you know that LAC also collects and preserves books that have been challenged in Canada? You can consult the list of Challenged Titles and Authors from our collection to see for yourself. Another spoiler: you might be genuinely surprised by some of the books you find here.

Reading diverse material is more important than ever in a time where challenging publications can interfere with the freedom to read. Canada has a long, if often little-known, history of challenging books and voices. Across Canada, publications can be challenged for different reasons and for various audiences, including school libraries and public libraries with differing mandates and policies. The freedom to read can be notoriously challenging to protect, despite its inclusion in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Libraries and readers share the responsibility to protect and support the freedom to read and always work towards a vital goal: when it comes to authors that Canadians read, no one is missing.

Freedom to Read Week will take place from February 18–24, 2024. To learn more about this year’s campaign, check out the Freedom to Read website.

Liane Belway is an Acquisitions Librarian with the Industry Outreach team in the Private Archives and Published Heritage Branch at Library and Archives Canada.

The prime minister as reader

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By Meaghan Scanlon

Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC) Prime Ministers and the Arts: Creators, Collectors and Muses exhibition looks at Canada’s prime ministers through the lens of their relationships with the arts. One aspect of the exhibition is an exploration of the prime minister as collector and fan. Among the items featured that explore this theme are correspondence between Sir Wilfrid Laurier and painter Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, a painting from William Lyon Mackenzie King’s personal collection, and a fan letter from John Diefenbaker to artist Alma Duncan.

But the exhibition mainly focuses on the prime ministers’ libraries. If you read enough prime ministerial biographies, a pattern emerges: almost every one contains references to its subject’s prodigious reading habits. A biography of Alexander Mackenzie (OCLC 20920624), for example, notes that Mackenzie “was a greedy reader, and never tired of poring over his books.” According to the authors, Mackenzie’s family would spend their winter evenings

“sitting round the wide, old-fashioned fire-place, cheerful and ruddy with the blaze of the big logs, reading and discussing literary subjects and authors, especially Shakespeare and Byron, two prime favourites of theirs. It was a very interesting group, and its intellectual life was a fitting preparation for the future statesman. All who have heard Mr. Mackenzie speak, know that he could readily quote from the poets, and from current literature, and that his addresses were invariably pitched on the high plane of presupposing intelligent hearers.”

Sir John A. Macdonald, too, was known for quoting from literature in his speeches, according to biographers. In his book about Macdonald (OCLC 2886256), Joseph Pope claimed Macdonald was an “omnivorous” reader, meaning that he would read almost anything, but his favourite genre was political memoirs. Sir Robert Borden studied classical languages. The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto now holds a number of very old Greek and Latin books that contain Borden’s bookplate; one of these, a 1725 edition of writings by Cicero, is currently on loan to LAC for the exhibition. Mackenzie King was an avid reader who regularly commented in his diary on the books he had been reading. Many of his books are now in LAC’s collection, but a portion of his extensive library remains on view in his study at Laurier House.

Each of the prime ministers likely had favourite books and authors—Macdonald was a devotee of novelist Anthony Trollope, and King was so enamoured with poet Matthew Arnold that he began collecting books from Arnold’s own library.

A book open to the inside front cover. Attached to the left-hand page is the bookplate of Matthew Arnold. The right-hand page is blank and held down by a weight.

Bookplate of Matthew Arnold affixed to the inside front cover of The Holy Bible (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1828), from the Collection of Books from the Library of William Lyon Mackenzie King (OCLC 1007776528) Photo credit: Library and Archives Canada

But Arthur Meighen stands out among them all for his dedication to one particular literary figure: William Shakespeare. Meighen was known to be able to quote long passages of Shakespeare from memory. In 1934, during an ocean voyage to Australia, he composed and memorized a speech on Shakespeare, which he entitled “The Greatest Englishman of History.” Meighen delivered this speech a number of times; one address, at the Canadian Club in Toronto in February 1936, was recorded. This recording was eventually released on vinyl (OCLC 981934627), giving Meighen the unusual distinction of being the first Canadian prime minister ever to release an album.

A black 12-inch vinyl record with a yellow label.

Photograph of the vinyl record The Greatest Englishman of History by Arthur Meighen (OCLC 270719760) Photo credit: Library and Archives Canada

You can hear a clip of the audio recording of Arthur Meighen delivering his speech “The Greatest Englishman of History” in the Prime Ministers and the Arts episode of the LAC podcast.

The exhibition is open at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa until December 3, 2019.

Meaghan Scanlon is Senior Special Collections Librarian in the Published Heritage Branch at Library and Archives Canada.