Censors and librarians: changing perspectives and approaching a dialogue on public library challenges in North Carolina

Library Science literature on the subject of library censorship has revealed much about the processes and statistics dealing with the attempts of community members to censor various sources in library collections, as well as the traditional methods that institutions have employed to cope with these attempts. This study describes how the professional outlook on library censorship has changed since the 1950's, and ways in which familiarity with user communities and their concerns can foster more trusting relationships between user and institution. It also includes data collected by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom documenting materials challenges at North Carolina public and school libraries from 1990 to 2009, with an analysis of this data by region. The exceedingly low number of reported challenges to public libraries throughout the state during the study time frame is a notable characteristic