Survey Responses: Censorship + Intellectual Freedom
We asked Librarian and Archivists with Palestine members their thoughts on censorship and intellectual freedom as it relates to the genocide in Gaza. Many have chosen to stay anonymous to protect their identities.
Where and how do you see censorship occur in relation to Palestine?
“Much censorship within the mainstream, as there appears to be an unwillingness to depart from the mythical narrative of Israel, and the necessity of the Nakba to keep Israel "safe" Because of the "myth" there appears to be an urgent need to "prove" the myth is correct in order to support the negative practices against Palestinians since the Nakba. Financial support of institutions, business, and political candidates by the Israel lobby upholds the conviction to not speak the truth.”
— Anonymous, academic, writer & fiber Artist
“We are living in a new McCarthy era, where silencing and smearing of Palestinians and those who advocate for Palestine are routinely censored. Staff members fro the City of Evanston have been FIRED; one for working on a proposed ceasefire resolution and pushing back against city official who insisted that the city should officially "Stand with Israel"; another for supporting Palestine online. Pro Israel parents have encouraged the ADL to complain to Evanston Township High School for including Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine in a civics fair for students, a fair to which the Jewish United Fund and Simon Wiesenthal Center were both invited as well.
Evanston teachers have been threatened with discipline and are targets of a campaign by pro Israeli parents to get them fired for a) wearing keiffyehs, b) wearing "free Palestine" shirts, c) speaking at city council meetings in favor of a ceasefire resolution and using the phrase "river to the sea". Antisemitism "investigations" are ongoing at various universities. Firing of presidents of Penn and Harvard. House resolution equating anti-zionism with antisemitism, Senate resolution recommending investigation of Palestinian student groups as possibly antisemitic or even linked to terrorist organizations.”
— Lesley W, English language reading and writing tutor
“[We] barely have any available books about Palestine.”
— Nomi H., Youth services librarian
Have you personally experienced censorship on topics pertaining to Palestine?
“In 2014, I tried to do research about contemporary Palestinian art as part of my sabbatical project. What I discovered when searching for scholarly resources in the library’s databases is that the word “Palestine,” or any form/variation of the word, was not listed as a subject heading in the indexed records. I had to search all the fields, including the abstracts to find the periodical literature I needed to include in the bibliography.
What was very interesting is that at times there was a clear distinction in how to label Palestine or the concept of what it means to be a Palestinian. Some records used the subject heading “Palestinian Territory” instead of simply stating “Palestine” suggesting the influence of politics and legal definitions determined by international courts. While other records used strange terms like “Jewish-Arab Relations” even though the main focus of the article or book was Palestine or Palestinian art.
During my research, a news story appeared about EBSCO Information Services, a major provider of library resources and online research databases, and their use of politically incorrect subject headings when referring the Boycott, Divest and Sanction or BDS movement. EBSCO had cataloged articles about the BDS movement under the heading “Anti-Jewish Boycotts.” After a campaign calling EBSCO out on this using Twitter and other social media, the company acknowledged its mistake and changed the indexing to “Boycotts.”
When I saw this story, coupled with my experience doing research on Palestinian art – I realized this one subject heading error in this one database is the tip of the iceberg and most likely not an error at all. There have been a number of articles in Medium about this recently.”
— Anonymous, librarian
“When trying to find poetry from Palestinian authors, I was unable to find any within our collection other than Naomi Shihab Nye. I organized a letter-writing table to teach students how to reach out to their local politicians to advocate on issues. Naturally, my aim was to encourage students to advocate for a ceasefire. The table was supported and I was supported in organizing the event. The event was organized tactfully as neutral so that we would not bring too much attention to our cause. A few signs were left out: watermelon stickers and a book of Palestinian poetry. If students approached, we'd encourage them to write to their local representatives about a ceasefire but we otherwise didn't put any specific indications that the table was related to Palestine.
About half the people who approached weren't very interested in writing about a ceasefire, but word of mouth brought more pro-Palestine students to the table. One Muslim student approached and wanted to write a letter but said she was scared to use her address because she had younger siblings. I'm grateful for the support I received, and I would not call the neutral presentation I had to take censorship. But I understood what I was doing would be seen as "controversial" in many library spaces and may have risked my job. In the library, we hold neutrality as the default and stray away from controversy to make our spaces welcoming.
Over time, thanks to tireless effort, certain controversial topics have inched their way into the neutral library space. Just a few yards away from my table was a display on modern banned books. Upstairs we were running a display on 50 feminist books. And in our library entrance was a land acknowledgment. In many libraries, these are not controversial sights (in many they still are). There is nothing neutral about books and the act of providing them for free. It's an inherently radical act, but it seems we sometimes forget that we are a radical space by default. If we display books that were banned because of their ties to marginalized groups, it should not be radical to say ceasefire when a marginalized community is under occupation. If we provide books about feminism, it should not be radical to encourage people to speak up on behalf of the women in Gaza giving birth with no medical support. If we have a land acknowledgment, it should not be radical to speak out against the occupation of Palestine.”
— Jeanne K, OER librarian
How is your place of employment responding (or not responding) to censorship challenges?
“Soon after Oct 7 the Vice Chancellor of my university acknowledged the conflict in an internal email and expressed support and empathy for staff and students affected by both sides. Our local museum, on the other hand, decided to project the Israeli flag onto its building in solidarity with Israel. So the response from institutions has been mixed. But in general I’ve noticed silence regarding the current situation especially within my workplace: an academic archive situated within the university library. And there is silence within the greater library and archives sector in New Zeland. The silence is concerning as we are a space of history, information and education, yet we are unable or unwilling to discuss let alone mobilise around the issue.”
— H.M., archivist
“Within a few days of the Hamas attack, there was an event at my library on the Israeli perspective on the war. There has been no Palestinian perspective event at the library. At my workplace, the issue is an absence of information on Palestine rather than misinformation.
In the library profession, there is radio silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza. There is no official space to speak on the issue for librarians. Statements on the genocide crafted by members of ALA's SRRT have not been presented to the ALA Council. DEIA initiatives do not include a conversation about Palestine in my workplace.”
— Anonymous, librarian
What Next?
Librarians and Archivists with Palestine (LAP) is a network of self-defined librarians, archivists, and information workers in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.
Read LAP’s statement on Gaza | Take action with their Gaza Toolkit | Donate
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