- St. Olaf Libraries
- Research Guides
- FYS 120P: Voices for Democracy!
- Banned Book Resources
FYS 120P: Voices for Democracy!
Karen Olson
LibKey Nomad
Research and Instruction Librarian for Music & Fine Arts
Research Article Databases
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Education Collection This link opens in a new windowMany challenges to books affect literature for children and teens made available in schools; the Education Collection may provide context for these bans.
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Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) This link opens in a new windowChallenges to books can also affect public libraries; LISTA, a library science research database, may provide context for these challenges.
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MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new windowScholarly journal articles, books, book chapters, book reviews, and dissertations in literary studies; better for interpretations of books than specific discussions of book bans.
Research databases index articles, books, and other media published in a specific subject. Here are some subject databases that might be helpful.
Newspapers Available Through St. Olaf
Newspapers often report on book challenges, or include editorial pieces discussing them. St. Olaf College Library & IT provides online access to several major US newspapers.
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Minnesota Star Tribune This link opens in a new windowAccess to the current Star Tribune two different ways. Access requirements have changed and now can access either on campus (IP based/no login/no registration) or register with St. Olaf email address for seamless on and off campus access. Archives searchable back through 2005. Please use ProQuest Historical Newspapers. for earlier content. Click "more..." below for access information.
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New York Times Online This link opens in a new windowAcademic site license access to New York Times Online.
Note: You will need to register the first time you access this site. If you have previously registered your email address on The New York Times site, you will click the "Already have an account?" "Log in here" link (below the "Create Account" button). -
U.S. Newsstream This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles from a large collection of contemporary newspapers, including The New York Times, The Times (London), and The Wall Street Journal. Dates of coverage vary by newspaper.
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Wall Street Journal Online This link opens in a new windowAcademic site license to the Wall Street Journal Online. Note: You will need to set up an account on the WSJ website because an individual site account is required to finish the registration.
Resources at Northfield Public Library
Northfield Public Library provides access to NoveList, which includes resources like book reviews. St. Olaf students are eligible for an card with Northfield Public Library. You can request one using this form.
Online Resources
There is a lot of information online about book bans. Here are some places for your research.
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American Library Association: Banned & Challenged BooksThe ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States.
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Cooperative Children's Book Center (UW-Madison)Be sure to look at the "Intellection Freedom" section, including "When Materials Are Challenged" and the "What IF...Forum."
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The Banned Book ProjectStudents in an English class at Carnegie Mellon University write reports about banned books. While you probably should not use the student summaries, definitely check out the sources they used to write them.
Remember, just because it is on the internet does not mean it is true or accurate. Always check your source for bias -- see "Evaluating Sources with ACCORD" for tips on how to gauge the reliability of a source.
Here are two openly biased resources about recent book bans. Both sites could provide useful information about what their groups intend to accomplish, but if you use them for your project, you will want to acknowledge their bias. Their inclusion on this guide is not an endorsement of their beliefs or policies.
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Book RiotA progressive-leaning editorial/review site that includes an large collection of opinion pieces and reporting about banned books.
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Moms for Liberty Book ResourcesMoms for Liberty is a grassroots political organization that has lead or supported many recent campaigns to have books banned. Visit their website to learn their justification for these bans in their own words. (Note: this is not an endorsement for Moms for Liberty, just a reminder that if you want to know what a group is doing, look to their own documentation as well as other's reactions to them.)