Analysis of the perception of professional staff in public libraries in the Canary Islands about the practice of censorship in public libraries in Spain between 2020 and 2024

Abstract

Exploratory study to find out how the practice of censorship may be affecting public libraries in Spain between 2020 and 2024 according to the opinion of public library professional staff in the Canary Islands. The survey has been used as a research method by means of a self-administered online questionnaire which was applied to a sample of 161 public libraries between March and April, 2024 and with a response rate of 37.26 %. Among the main conclusions, it stands out that according to the staff, censorship is only affecting certain public libraries in certain provinces. They consider that the diversity and plurality of information in the collections are very positive as well as guaranteeing free access to information for users and respect for their right to freedom and information demands. They show that they must adopt a neutral role when carrying out their duties and defend professional associations as a cohesion framework against possible practices related to censorship. This work implies a new way of research in Spain to understand the negative impact of the praxis of censorship and how it interferes with the management of information units.