Can I Ban Books From My Front-Yard Little Free Library?

I have a Little Free Library in my front yard. I encourage my neighbors to take books and leave books, and many do. Children’s books are especially popular. I ‘‘curate’’ the library box at least weekly to be sure it is well stocked with books for various ages and interests: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cookbooks, babies, storybooks, young adult literature, etc. If a book stays too long in the box, I rotate it out for a later time or donate it to another L.F.L. or to the public library.

As a book lover, I am concerned about right-wing movements to remove books from libraries; I’ve always believed that we should have free access to ideas. But I am now facing an ethical question. Someone leaves a lot of religious books in my Little Free Library. I welcome Bible stories, prayer books and religious philosophy, but recently donated books are making the case to children against evolution. In storybook form, these books state that the earth is only a few thousand years old, and that dinosaurs and humans coexisted. These are not told as stories, but as the word of God.

I realize that parents usually help children choose books from my front yard, and that I do not have an obligation to leave specific books in my L.F.L. indefinitely. Still, these anti-science books present me with an ethical dilemma: If I am opposed to schools’ and public libraries’ banning books like ‘‘In the Night Kitchen,’’ ‘‘Fun Home’’ and ‘‘Heather Has Two Mommies,’’ must I also distribute creationist children’s books? — Name Withheld

From the Ethicist:

Private providers of reading material aren’t bound by the political ideal of free expression: Marriott Hotels, founded by a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, can choose to put the Christian Bible and the Book of Mormon in their rooms, and not to place a copy of the Quran or the Upanishads there as well. Public and academic libraries, by contrast, play an important role in providing free access to varied viewpoints.

Let me step away from your front yard for a bit and acknowledge that the situation isn’t so clear cut when it comes to libraries meant for minors. School librarians must contend with issues of what’s age-appropriate, what’s consistent with the educational mission and what’s considered harmful, by parents as well as educators. In a progressive school in Brooklyn, you may not find a book viewed as hurtful to L.G.B.T.Q. people; in a Christian academy in the South, you might not find one viewed as advancing L.G.B.T.Q. perspectives. The point isn’t that they’re equivalent; it’s that people who say they’re opposed to banning books often wish themselves to keep certain books off the school shelves. Librarians, meanwhile, given budget constraints, can’t escape making choices based on content.

I favor a relatively permissive approach. Children get properly educated when they’re aware of a wide range of views, including, as they grow older, views their parents disagree with. Learning to evaluate ideas is a preparation for adult freedom. Adults, in turn, are entitled to make their own choices about what to read. That’s one way in which adults exercise their freedom.