ETL 503 Module 2 Censorship. A Complex Issue

Censorship can be overt or covert. TL's must be very aware of covert censorship.
Points from 'Covert Censorship in Libraries: A Discussion Paper' Moody(2004)
 Sources of Censorship:
* Vendor/ publisher bias
* Outsourcing acquisitions
* Citation rates
* Pressure from funding bodies
* Self censorship and community standards
* Innacurate or slow cataloguing
* Exclusion of socially unpleasant materials

 I am wondering if some of these issues are more pertinent to secondary and academic libraries. Particularly issues such as citation rates. TL's must be pro freedom of information and promote access to information. I am more aware after reading the articles on censorship about the danger of hidden and covert agendas which if not aware could influence our selection. I can recall instances where I have debated with myself and colleagues whether to read or show video images which may be confronting or uncomfortable to a particular age group due to the shared programming with another untrained TL. I work in a k - 6 primary school. I have struggled with the decisions to be made at times. At one time I chose to censor a video which I thought to be uneccessary. Another colleagues opinion was different and the video was not censored . The topics with which I have debated censorship issues with recently have been in relation WWII (Holocaust Experiences), Poverty in Africa and Refugee topics. The age of the students and level of maturity were certainly things I  considered, but so were the personal experiences of the students. I find this issue rather tricky as a TL and also as parent. I am constantly debating and justifying censorship in regards to movies which my children aged 8 and 12 want to see at the cinema. Therefore I rely more heavily on reviews, age  guidelines and personal experiences of friends, parents and other trained and experienced TL's.

Currently I am considering how to handle the censorship issue with the book 'After' by Morris Gleitzman. This book has just been shortlisted for the CBCA Awards and I am wondering what to do as i have done before with the particular age group category of 'Younger Readers". It is recommended for 12 year old readers. Should it be included in the collection. I know this series is not in my primary schools collection due to the previous librarian's choice . Am I  guilty of uneccessary censorship myself? My year seven daughter has been reading and studying the series and has just finished the entire series.Her opinion of 'After' is that it would not be suitable for year 6. In her opinion the students would not want or need the level of information in the book. A fair point perhaps when we consider the following quote. "Librarians therefore have an important role to play in the maintenance of a democracy, because when librarians do their jobs properly, they connect people with the information they want and need." Moody (2004).