IntroductionCensorship is a dirty word for information professionals. Attempts by individuals or groups to prevent the public from reading, hearing, or viewing certain materials because of their content are enough to send librarians and organizations such as the American Library Association into the proverbial battlefield . However, information professionals in all fields must make choices about what to include or not include in their particular library's collection. How are these selections made? What causes one item to be selected instead of another? The distinction between censorship and selection is infinitesimal and depends mainly on the role of the individuals involved. As an information professional, who by nature has the responsibility to protect the rights of the public to have free access to documents, great care must be taken in the selection of documents. By evaluating collections, carefully examining our deeply held beliefs, and scrupulously adhering to selection policies, information professionals can guard against personal biases influencing selection decisions. What is censorship? Censorship can take many forms, but it inherently leads to an individual or group attempting to restrict access to the material. Jenkinson (2002) defines a censor as someone who "starts with a list of negatives or 'no-nos' and then seeks to identify whether any of these 'taboo' words, topics, themes or attitudes are present in an element” (p. 22). Whatever the context, a censor then seeks either to have the object removed or not to acquire it at all. (Jenkinson, 2002, p. 22). Censorship can take place in visible ways, such as when a parent or group takes issue with a book. However, a much more...... middle of paper......Hill, R. (2010). The problem of self-censorship. School Library Journal. (27)2. p. 9-12. Kidd, K. (2009). “No censorship but selection”: Censorship and/or reward. Children's Literature in Education, 40(3), 197-216. doi:10.1007/s10583-008-9078-4Mazer, Norma Fox. (1997). Shh! The ALAN magazine. (24)2, 46-48. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter97/w97-10-Censorship.htmlMcMenemy, D. (2008). Selection and censorship: librarians and their collections. Library Review, 57(5), 341-344. doi:1497848431Staples, S. (1996). What Johnny can't read. The ALAN magazine. (23)2, np Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/winter96/pubCONN.htmlVan Kampen, Doris J. and Rose Spino. 2007. “Issues in Document Curation and Selection: Censorship and Self-Selection.” World of Catholic Libraries 77(3), 222-225.