The self-censored school library: refuge or arid philosophical desert? “You don’t need to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them,” posited Ray Bradbury, author of the critically acclaimed Fahrenheit 451, describing a society marked by regular book burnings and complete suppression of ideas. This quote illustrates the threat that censorship poses to the reading habits of young people, a threat still present in school libraries. Academic media specialists face the challenge of cultivating a collection of materials that will appeal to young readers who, on average, resist reading. Add to that a librarian who self-censors and chooses not to include popular but controversial books, and there is the potential to completely alienate teenage student readers. Books have long provided a safe environment where students can explore, through literature, complex issues regarding morality and ethics with fewer risks than in real life. If censorship becomes a mainstay of the school library, whether imposed by the community or by the selective librarian, the student body is likely to suffer the effects. In order to understand the effects of censorship on students, we must first consider its effects. definition and a brief exploration of its root cause in school libraries. Defined as “the modification, suppression or prohibition of speech or writing condemned as subversive to the common good”, censorship is not a new idea. Fortunately, in the enlightened 21st century, there are procedures in school and public libraries that must be followed in order to request that a book be removed from circulation. The content that most angers concerned parents and...... middle of paper ......sion for an ethical future. Library Student Journal 5 (January 2010): 13. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, EBSCOhost (accessed November 7, 2013). Plato, The Apology: An Electronic Classics Series Publication, ed. Jim Manis, trans. Benjamin Jowett. Hazelton, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, 2013. Accessed November 10, 2013. http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/plato/apology.pdf.The Times Book of Quotations. 2000. Glasgow: Times Books. Whelan, Debra Lau. “A dirty little secret.” School Library Journal 55, no. 2 (February 2009): 27-30. Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (HW Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed October 24, 2013). Whelan, Debra Lau. “Investigation into the self-censorship of the SLJ. » School Library Journal. Accessed November 10, 2013. http://www.slj.com/2009/02/collection-development/slj-self-censorship-survey/.