CANBY, Ore. — The Canby School District has decided to remove one book from library shelves, after dozens were temporarily removed this past spring.
"Lolita," the notorious novel by Vladimir Nabokov about a middle-aged man's predatory sexual relationship a 12-year-old girl, has been removed entirely, with its critics calling it an erotic novel. Others that the district temporarily removed, were taken off shelves because they supposedly contained sexual violence, drug addiction or other reasons objectionable content.
Complaints from two community members spurred the district's decision to temporarily remove 35 books in total from school libraries a few months ago, pending review — something that Canby students turned out to protest.
"We are a small town,” said Avery Keinonen, a former Canby student. “It's something that's happening here, it's not just affecting us. But if we can make a statement and make a stand against this, and try to combat it, then that's really important to me."
Members of the Oregon Library Association said proper protocol wasn’t followed in the book's removal.
“They weren’t willing to talk to us,” said Emily O’Neal, chair of intellectual freedom with the Oregon Library Association.
O’Neal said "Lolita" was taken off school shelves without the Canby School District following correct protocol. O’Neal claims the school system did not alert students, parents, or the Oregon Library Association of its decision.
The school district disputes that, saying a final decision was made at a May meeting, when school officials met to discuss a list of around three dozen books to determine if any should be removed or restricted.
School officials said "Lolita" was the only book removed. Four others were limited to high school:
"A Court of Mist and Fury," by Sarah J. Maas
"A Court of Silver Flames," by Sarah J. Maas
"A Court of Wings and Ruin," by Sarah J. Maas
"Out of Darkness," by Ashley Hope Perez
O’Neal said the Oregon Library Association was never alerted to the names of these four other books, which are now only in high schools.
Statewide, there has been a spike in books being “challenged.” When a book is “challenged,” someone asks for it to be removed or restricted. This past year, the State Library of Oregon recorded 93 challenges from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.