The Government of Alberta's plans to bring in rules for what books can go into school libraries is a book ban in all but name, says the head of St. Albert’s public library.
Alberta Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced May 26 the province would roll out new provincewide standards for age-appropriate materials available to students in school libraries this fall. He also launched a public survey on what Albertans wanted to see in those standards.
Nicolaides said the province had found that some Alberta K-12 school libraries contained books with “graphic sexual content” (such as sex and nudity) his office found was not age-appropriate. He singled out four graphic novels as examples: Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Craig Thompson’s Blankets, and Mike Curato’s Flamer.
“We firmly believe children in our schools should not have access to books that contain graphic depictions of sex acts,” he said, adding that he personally believed these four books were “not appropriate for kids, full stop.”
Nicolaides said while the province has voluntary guidelines for school resources, school boards are currently responsible for deciding what goes into their libraries. These new standards would set rules for what is considered age-appropriate materials for school libraries. They would not apply to public libraries or the 55 public libraries located in Alberta schools.
Nicolaides said these standards are not book bans, as they did not name specific titles, and would not restrict access to specific topics, such as 2SLGBTQ+ persons. (Three of the four books he cited as inappropriate were about 2SLGBTQ+ people.)
“This is not a question of banning specific books or specific titles, but rather establishing clear policy and guidelines for all school divisions to follow.”
Book ban, says library CEO
St. Albert Public Library CEO Peter Bailey said the province was, in fact, moving to ban books from schools with these new standards, given that it had singled out four books as inappropriate. He characterized this move as an offshoot of ongoing pressure campaigns led by American lobby groups such as Moms for Liberty to ban materials related to sex and 2SLGBTQ+ persons from libraries.
“It seems there is no depths [this government] will [not] go to pander to their base,” he said.
Bailey said if the province was actually worried about the contents of school libraries, it should give schools money to hire trained librarians who know how to pick age-appropriate books.
“Parents have the right to decide what their kids are reading. They do not have the right to decide what other parents’ kids are reading.”
In an email, Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools spokesperson Shanlyn Cunningham said none of the four books cited by Nicolaides were in GSACRD’s libraries.
“In our division, library materials are selected with intention and care,” she said, as dictated by the district’s library program administrative procedure and other documents.
Specifically, Cunningham said the district picks literature that aligns with the Catholic worldview and contributes to students’ intellectual, moral, and spiritual formation. Literature is assessed for age-appropriateness, educational value, faith alignment, and cultural relevance, with administrators having the final say on approving or removing titles.
“Access to materials is thoughtfully managed at the school level, and staff, including library personnel, play an important role in guiding students to suitable reading choices.”
In a joint statement released May 26, the chairs of the Edmonton and Calgary public school boards said the province’s announcement came “as a complete surprise” to them, as the province had never raised concerns with them about library resources. They said their schools follow rigorous processes guided by groups such as Canadian School Libraries to pick books and have clear complaint mechanisms if people had concerns about specific resources.
Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling said he is concerned these new standards would target vulnerable groups, given how many of the books the province flagged as inappropriate deal with 2SLGBTQ+ issues. While he agrees library materials should be grade-appropriate, Schilling said students also have the right to read and learn about what interests them.
“Kids need to see themselves in the books they read,” he said.
“That’s how they connect with school. If we scrub or censor our school libraries, what are we doing in terms of reflecting a modern society on our students?”
Mandy Lamoreux, president of CUPE 3550 (the union representing support staff in Edmonton Public Schools) said the province is using this policy to distract people from the overcrowded classrooms and other challenges students face.
“Sex is something kids know about, and need to learn about in thoughtful and respectful ways,” she said.
“The UCP plan to divert attention from the failures of their own education system will only hurt teens who need adults to actually be adults about sex.”
The province’s survey closes June 6. It can be found at www.alberta.ca/school-library-standards-engagement.
