Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Assessment Of Frequently Challenged Lgbtq* Books In Alabama Public Libraries, Sonja Sheffield

The Southeastern Librarian

Libraries are often seen as safe places for all people in a community. Libraries draw in diverse members of the community who all feel generally safe in the public space (Leckie and Hopkins, 2002, p. 353). Libraries often strive to be places of “no judgment” where all are treated equally and can have their information needs met in an unbiased fashion (American Library Association, 2006). There are also initiatives in many libraries to serve various marginalized groups in a community, such as immigrants (Shen, 2013), those with disabilities (Ross and Atkin, 2002), and the homeless (Ayers, 2006). Though civil rights …