The removal of more than 10,000 books at a Thames Valley high school in London was flawed but was not likely about censorship, a top expert in freedom of expression says.
A Thames Valley document dated 2024-25 and titled “inclusive library collection revitalization project,” a copy of which was obtained by The Free Press, notes the London-based board has several requirements for choosing library resources.
The “revitalization project,” it states, “aims to revitalize the collections of (Thames Valley) schools to ensure they are culturally responsive, reflect our diverse student population and contain accurate and up-to-date information.”
Books about Shakespeare and other authors and artists, residential schools, teen suicide, addiction, religion, bullying, family violence and child abuse were pulled from the shelves at the Beal library as well as books about sexuality
Fictional works including Harry Potter novels, Anne of Green Gables, Lord of the Flies, Wuthering Heights, The Kite Runner, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and The Colour Purple were also removed.
by juliankennedy23
4 Comments
This doesn’t make any sense. Are kids supposed not to relate to things they face everyday, like bullying and domestic violence? Why throw away classics like Anne of green gables and Wuthering heights?
I would be curious to see the circulation numbers on the books that were removed. My school library occasionally did culls and they would cull based on that. If those books were not being checked out, why keep them? They might have removed the classic novels because they were too damaged or not being circulated.
School librarian here – this sounds to me like a library with a huge and old collection that hadn’t had regular weeding over the years. I donate or recycle hundreds of books at the end of every school year based on use (if they hadn’t been touched in x number of years it’s time for them to move on), curriculum (if it changes and I need space for new books matching the new curriculum), and wear (moldy, torn, old books shouldn’t be taking up space). And I get hundreds of new books every year so I have to regularly weed to have room for the new ones.
Have I weeded Shakespeare and classic books? Definitely. I usually end up replacing them with newer editions if it’s something a kid will look for. But sometimes I don’t. My library needs to be relevant to my students.
I assumed this was going to be about the US.
I’m surprised Harry Potter got pulled, that will surely still be popular