Ontario librarians say 'they have to be ready' as calls to ban books increase across Canada

As libraries south of the border contend with growing book banning efforts largely targeting titles with 2SLGBTQ+ themes, London, Ont.-area librarians worry it could become a larger issue here.

They're using Freedom to Read week, which wraps Saturday, to call attention to the issue amid concerns the problem could worsen and deter future librarians from entering the profession.

"Honestly, it's kind of scary," Kristen Caschera, supervisor of central information and fiction at the London Public Library's Central branch, said of news from the United States. Laws have been tabled in multiple states threatening librarians with harsh punishments for distributing books deemed inappropriate.

"It's wild to think … how this could possibly be happening. But more than ever, I think that reaffirms our commitment to making sure as much information is available as possible," Caschera said.

Calls to remove books from library shelves in the United States has soared in recent years, an uptick attributed in part to organized campaigns, often from Conservative political groups.

Such book banning campaigns haven't materialized to the same extent in Canada, but similar efforts have made their way north, a recent investigation by The Fifth Estate revealed.

A 2024 study from the Canadian Federation of Library Associations has also documented a growing number of book challenges in recent years, with a surge coming since the COVID-19 pandemic.

It found there were 197 complaints challenging books in Canadian libraries in 2023, and nearly half were about 2SLGBTQ content. That's compared to roughly 10 per cent in 2019, the study said.

Asked what she's heard from librarians in training about the current atmosphere, Caschera said, for some, it's strengthened their feelings about intellectual freedom.

In the U.S., book banning campaigns have seen the number of titles targeted explode over the last several years to more than 4,200 in 2023, compared to fewer than 200 a decade earlier, the American Library Association (ALA) says. 

Books about 2SLGBTQ+ issues and characters have also been the target of a growing number of challenges at school libraries in Ontario, influenced by U.S. campaigns, said Wendy Burch Jones, president of the Ontario School Library Association.

"A lot of the times, the books that are getting challenged are coming off of lists that get published and get passed around. A lot of the time, the people asking for books to be banned haven't even read the books," she said.

She added it was important school boards have rigorous book selection and deselection policies, and clear language around how to deal with challenges.

South of London, St. Thomas Public Library is also taking the matter seriously, its chief librarian says. The library has designated 2025 as the year to ensure its stance on intellectual freedom is "really, really solid," and its intellectual freedom policy "ironclad," Heather Robinson said.