2026 ALISE Annual Conference

Drawing on the authors' ongoing interview study on book challenges, this study introduces an empirical model to analyze the institutional factors that influence library reconsideration outcomes and subsequent policy changes. conditions under which public libraries are more likely to make decisions that lean toward censorship. We specifically look into how demographics, library governance, and library characteristics affect the outcomes of book challenges (removal, relocation, restriction, or no action) and policy changes (e.g., the implementation of restricted library cards, reduced input from library staff during the reconsideration process, and the addition of regulations regarding obscenity and sexual content).