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INDEX ON CENSORSHIP   |   VOL.53   |   NO.2 → organistation was aware of attempts to censor school libraries, and that the concern was on the minds of members. “I doubt this is a new phenomenon. And it’s probably been going on for as long as school libraries have existed,” she said. “I wonder whether it’s a symptom of the more polarised society that we’re living in now, and that’s why things have got stronger.” Recent conversations around book bans have been heavily focused on the USA, where the American Library Association’s (ALA) latest report shows that requests for bans of unique titles increased 65% in 2023 from the previous year. That’s 4,240 different books being targeted. There’s a reason we know all this – the data is being collected. In the UK, there is no equivalent to the ALA list. Stories of library censorship occasionally bubble up, but only when the story is interesting enough to hit the media. Almost every school librarian who spoke to us wanted to remain anonymous, as they were concerned about losing their jobs if they spoke out. We’ve changed their names and left out other identifying details of their stories. But there was one who was happy to put her name to her words, as she has done before. The first time Alice Leggatt spoke out on censorship, she wasn’t given a great deal of choice, as the story surrounding the school she was then at hit the media. Outside influence Leggatt had been working at The John Fisher School, a Catholic boys’ school in Purley, London, for around nine months. She loved the school, and felt it was going to great lengths to be ABOVE: Book banning has become more commonplace in the UK, often due to LGBT+ themes inclusive, although she now reflects that more traditional members of staff and the archdiocese were less progressive. When she booked children’s author Simon James Green to give a talk in March 2022, she never imagined it would cause a problem. She sent a letter home to parents about how they could buy Green’s books ahead of the visit if they wished to do so, also noting that the event would continue on from LGBT+ History Month celebrations and mark World Book Day. “Somehow, that letter made its way to a blog that was posted in Scotland – quite a far-right Catholic blog,” Leggatt told Index. That blog was Catholic Truth Scotland, which is now accessible only 16  INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG

INDEX ON CENSORSHIP   |   VOL.53   |   NO.2

organistation was aware of attempts to censor school libraries, and that the concern was on the minds of members.

“I doubt this is a new phenomenon. And it’s probably been going on for as long as school libraries have existed,” she said. “I wonder whether it’s a symptom of the more polarised society that we’re living in now, and that’s why things have got stronger.”

Recent conversations around book bans have been heavily focused on the USA, where the American Library Association’s (ALA) latest report shows that requests for bans of unique titles increased 65% in 2023 from the previous year.

That’s 4,240 different books being targeted.

There’s a reason we know all this – the data is being collected.

In the UK, there is no equivalent to the ALA list. Stories of library censorship occasionally bubble up, but only when the story is interesting enough to hit the media.

Almost every school librarian who spoke to us wanted to remain anonymous, as they were concerned about losing their jobs if they spoke out. We’ve changed their names and left out other identifying details of their stories.

But there was one who was happy to put her name to her words, as she has done before. The first time Alice Leggatt spoke out on censorship, she wasn’t given a great deal of choice, as the story surrounding the school she was then at hit the media.

Outside influence

Leggatt had been working at The John Fisher School, a Catholic boys’ school in Purley, London, for around nine months. She loved the school, and felt it was going to great lengths to be

ABOVE: Book banning has become more commonplace in the UK, often due to LGBT+ themes inclusive, although she now reflects that more traditional members of staff and the archdiocese were less progressive.

When she booked children’s author Simon James Green to give a talk in March 2022, she never imagined it would cause a problem. She sent a letter home to parents about how they could buy Green’s books ahead of the visit if they wished to do so, also noting that the event would continue on from LGBT+ History Month celebrations and mark World Book Day.

“Somehow, that letter made its way to a blog that was posted in Scotland – quite a far-right Catholic blog,” Leggatt told Index.

That blog was Catholic Truth Scotland, which is now accessible only

16  INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG

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