Books by Stock and Joyce returned to library shelves in Calderdale following investigation

Calderdale Council’s director of public services has found that the library service’s recommendation to remove six titles went against the guidance provided by the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP) and the council’s own stock management policy. 

The books included Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality by Helen Joyce (Oneworld Publications), Material Girls by Kathleen Stock (Fleet), Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier (Regnery Publishing), Double Think by Janice G Raymond (Spinifex Press), Trigger Warning by Sheila Jeffries (Spinifex Press) and Transgender Body Politics by Heather Brunskell-Evans (Spinifex Press). 

Library staff had been asked to remove the books from the shelves "due to the nature of the content" after an HR matter, although the books were still available through the online lending service. The Daily Telegraph initially reported on the decision, resulting in a social media storm, after which staff from the library complained that the request to remove books was "a departure from policy and professional ethics" and asked for the books to be kept on the shelves. 

Ian Day, the council’s director of public services, said in a report: "Whilst it is understood that some of the content may cause offence to some readers, the books do not warrant removal when assessed against the current stock management policy and professional guidance. It is also noted that the titles are readily available for purchase without restriction through bookshops and on line and they are also available elsewhere in mainstream library stock."

Day also noted that library staff could have challenged the approach even more before removing the books from the shelves. In a statement to The Bookseller, Day said: “The decision to move the six books from the library shelves to the reserve stock did not follow our stock management policy, which outlines the principles under which books are selected for purchase and displayed in our libraries. 

“For this reason, I have recommended that the books should be returned to general circulation in our libraries. I have also recommended that the stock management policy, which has been in place for nine years, should be updated and then submitted to our cabinet for consideration. 

“These recommendations have been accepted in full by our chief executive and the books will now be returned to the library shelves. I recognise some people will be disappointed and upset by this decision and I’d like to apologise on behalf of the council for any distress that this may cause.”

In September CILIP issued updated guidance to “provide library staff with a clear decision-making framework when dealing with complex and challenging issues”, such as protests, hate speech and book bans. It was the first update to its official guidance in 15 years.