A school library in Mississauga, Ontario has made the move to remove all books from its shelves that were published before 2008, as part of a school board policy to ensure that books in school libraries are equitable and “inclusive.”
Students at Erindale Secondary School were reportedly shocked to find shelves in the library entirely empty upon returning for the start of the school year earlier this month, with one student claiming that as many as half of the books that were present last year, were now gone, the CBC reports.
The school is part of the Peel District School Board (PDSB), which has recently implemented a new process to meet a directive from the Ontario Provincial Minister of Education Stephen Lecce to ensure library books are inclusive.
However, Minister Lecce, a member of the Progressive Conservative government under Premier Doug Ford, stated Wednesday that he has asked the school board to change their policy:
Ontario is committed to ensuring that the addition of new books better reflects the rich diversity of our communities. It is offensive, illogical and counterintuitive to remove books from years past that educate students on Canada’s history, antisemitism or celebrated literary classics.
While the process of “weeding” books in libraries is a standard practice in order to replace or remove damaged books or those that contain out-of-date information, such as atlases that still list the USSR as a state, some groups are concerned that the added element of inclusion and equity could lead to the removal of books based on individual interpretation.
The weeding process is a three-step one, involving books at least 15 years or older that are examined for damage, misleading or outdated information among other facts. The second step is an audit of books to qualify books based on how well they “promote anti-racism, cultural responsiveness and inclusivity.”