The Study:

• A questionnaire survey of all 1,000 Canadian public libraries about access policies and collection challenges 1985-1987, including a request for detailed information about each challenge.

• Innovative aspects of the survey instrument were questions about:
  • age-based access restrictions on in-house use of materials and lending restrictions

  • censorship, such as mutilation or theft intended to prevent access by others

  • excessive and persistent pressures to accept or acquire materials

  • library treatment of potentially controversial materials by means of a checklist of controversial holdings

  • effects of challenges on library selection, classification, shelving, access, or circulation

  • verbatim reasons and explanations given by complainants for their objections to materials

• Library response rate of 56% with respondents serving municipalities accounting for 76% of all Canadian residents and 83% of all public library lending.

Created: Tuesday, February 20, 1996 - 2:03:22 PM.
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 20, 1996 - 5:24:33 PM.

Page created by Cory Stier.