Banned Books and Censorship Research Guide

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Use this research guide as a starting point for finding books, articles, and Internet sites on banned books and censorship.

What is the difference between a challenged book and a banned book?

"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. The positive message of Banned Books Week: Free People Read Freely is that due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection."

Source: American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm#wdcb

Books in the library on banned or challenged books:

To browse the collection, go to the following call number ranges in both the reference and circulating collections:
Z 657 - Z659

Recommended books:

Reference Collection - 1st floor:

Banned in the U.S.A. : a reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries
-- REF Z 658 .U5 F64 2002

Literature suppressed on religious grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 B35 2006
Literature suppressed on political grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 K37 2006
Literature suppressed on sexual grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 S68 2006
Literature suppressed on social grounds -- REF Z 658 .U5 S69 2006

The encyclopedia of censorship -- REF Z 657 .G73 2005

Circulating Collection - 2nd Floor:

Banned books : 2004 resource book -- Z 658 .U5 D68 2004
100 banned books : censorship histories of world literature - Z 658.U5 K35 1999

To search the online book catalog:

Go to: http://www.stchas.edu/library

-click on "Find a Book"
-choose the type of search you want (Keyword is the broadest and most  commonly used)

Type one of the recommended subject headings below into a Subject search.

To locate a challenged or banned book, type the book's title into a Title search.

If you need to expand your search to libraries outside of SCC, search MOBIUS. Ask at the reference desk if you need help.

MOBIUS allows you to search for and request books from other Missouri colleges and universities. To search MOBIUS, click on the MOBIUS link from the library's home page, or go to http://mobius.missouri.edu/search/.