Schools in Ontario are removing books published before 2008 to make school libraries more “inclusive”. Among the removed books are the Harry Potter series and The Diary of Anne Frank.

This year, Canada’s Minister of Education issued a directive to make school library collections more inclusive. The Peel District School Board (PDSB), one of Ontario’s largest school districts, responded by distributing guidelines to schools.

“The Board shall evaluate books, media and all other resources currently in use for teaching and learning English, History and Social Sciences for the purpose of utilizing resources that are inclusive and culturally responsive, relevant and reflective of students, and the Board’s broader school communities”, the directive reads.

Books published before 2008 were to be reviewed and removed as necessary.

When Takata, a student at Erindale Secondary School, returned after summer break this fall, half of the library’s books were gone.

– This year, I came into my school library and there are rows and rows of empty shelves with absolutely no books, she told CBS.

Anne Frank removed

Takata is one of many students and parents concerned about the extensive book removals. Critics argue that some libraries have removed books solely because they were published before 2008. Takata believes students should have been asked which books should be saved.

– No one asked for our opinions. I feel that taking away books without anyone’s knowledge is considered censorship, she said.

Books removed from the library include the entire Harry Potter series and The Hunger Games. Additionally, The Diary of Anne Frank and the children’s classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar have been removed from other schools, according to teachers.

“Causes Harm”

The new book removal process involves several steps, where quality is defined as “resources that promote anti-racism, cultural responsiveness and inclusivity”. Books are to be removed if they “cause harm”, either due to poor condition posing a health risk or because they are “not inclusive, culturally responsive, relevant, or accurate”.

All libraries remove books to some extent every year, but Takata worries that the new, more extreme directives deviate from the norm and risk erasing important history.

– I think authors who wrote about Japanese internment camps will be erased, and the entire historical development of Japanese Canadians will be removed. That worries me a lot, she said.

“Rolled Out Incorrectly”

The group Libraries Not Landfills, formed in response to the new directives to protect school library collections, shares Takata’s concerns. The group, which supports traditional book weeding, consists of parents, retired teachers, and other community members.

– Who’s the arbiter of what’s the right material to go in the library, and who’s the arbiter of what’s wrong in our libraries? That’s unclear, said Tom Ellard, a parent and founder of the group. It’s not clear to the teachers who’ve provided us this material, and it’s not clear to me as a parent or as a taxpayer.

David Green, chair of the PDSB board, admits the new book removal process was “rolled out incorrectly” and that the goal was never to remove all books published before 2008.

– We have asked the Director [of Education] again to make sure that if that is taking place, then that is stopped, and then the proper process is followed, he said.

It remains unclear if books that may have been mistakenly removed will be returned to the affected school libraries.