The war on books and ideas: the California Library Association and anti-Communist censorship in the 1940s and 1950s - The Role of Professional Associations

Library Trends, Fall, 1997 by Cindy Mediavilla

PROFESSIONAL DIFFERENCES

Though the "war on books and ideas" continued beyond this point, the attacks on intellectual freedom took a decided turn by the mid-1950s. Joseph McCarthy had been discredited by 1954 and even Anne Smart found that her political agenda was often overshadowed in the press by the salacious nature of some of the books she challenged (Benemann, 1977, p. 307). The library profession, which had weathered anti-Communism, seemed to be regaining its strength. In the west, the California Library Association and the School Library Association of California (SLAC) developed a joint "Intellectual Freedom in Libraries" policy which laid out a proactive, as well as reactive, plan of attack. Statewide, the associations promised to track and oppose any legislation which might jeopardize library collections or interfere with the professional activities of librarians, while supporting any legislation which strengthened the position of libraries in society. Locally, they proposed interceding in situations which promoted administrative restrictions on collection development and library practices. They also advocated the development of a materials selection policy in every library (CLA Intellectual Freedom Committee, 1958, p. 259). During the last two years of the 1950s, CLA representatives kept busy upholding intellectual freedom in schools (Merritt, 1958; 1959), public libraries (Merritt, 1958), publishing houses (Merritt, 1958), and the legislature (Madden, 1959; Merritt, 1959).

Yet not all librarians were satisfied with CLA's efforts in this area. Sensing the statewide frustration over continued legislative battles and constant threats from agitators like Anne Smart, the CLA Intellectual Freedom Committee proposed undertaking a study of censorship pressures and their effects on California librarians and book selection practices. A sponsor was found--the Fund for the Republic--and a possible research director, Marjorie Fiske, was named. However, approval of the project did not come easily. Some CLA officials felt uncomfortable joining forces with the Fund for the Republic, which was currently under Congressional investigation. Others feared possible retaliation from legislators who were needed to support library legislation. While still others claimed that CLA did not have sufficient facilities or resources to take on such an enormous endeavor. Therefore, J. Perriam Danton, dean of the School of Librarianship at the University of California, Berkeley, was approached. He committed his school to the project as long as he had CLA's endorsement. To quell all fears, a committee of librarians was then appointed by CLA president Carma Zimmerman to recommend whether or not the association should become involved in the study (Mosher, 1959, p. 62). After several months of consideration, it was decided that the University of California should move ahead with the project and that the CLA should assist in every way possible (Reid, 1956, p. 80).

The purpose of the study, according to Fiske (1957), was "to indicate which book selection problems recur frequently throughout the state, which seem to be unique, how they have been handled and how librarians and others concerned believe they should be handled" (p. 21). Therefore, over the following two years, 204 interviews were conducted with school librarians and administrators, as well as municipal and county librarians, in twenty-six communities (Fiske, 1959a). The results turned the library profession upside down.