Content area
Abstract
This study sought to determine what factors influenced the selection and collection development process of seven secondary school librarians in Richland and Lexington Counties in South Carolina. The purpose of this study was to investigate how external factors like national and local book challenges, pressures from parents, school administrators, and the community influenced the decision to purchase or not purchase material for their collection. The study also sought to understand the impact of internal factors, such as social, political, and religious views, on the selection process and how these factors aligned with Lewin’s gatekeeper’s theory. The study also was designed to understand and generalize if and how the participants engaged in self-censorship. This study incorporated a quantitative questionnaire and a qualitative narrative theory interview process that offered the participants an opportunity to share their personal and work experiences. The recorded interviews and transcripts of those recordings and questionnaire responses yielded the data for this study. Significant findings include that content played a part in every purchase or withdrawal from the collection development process and anchored the two dominant themes that emerged: 1) Challenges and Outside Influences and 2) Self-Censorship and Personal Views.
