Banned Literature

Banned literature is one example of censorship that we decided to dig further into for this project. Banning/challenging of books can be used to compare censorship over time because, while the internet, movies, and news may be more relevant to today, books are a constant that not only had an impact on the past, but also impact today.

The Index Librorum Prohibitorum,also known as the Index of Forbidden Texts, was a list of material banned by the Catholic Church.  The Index was originally published in the 1500's with the last edition published in 1948.  The books and articles listed were banned in order to protect followers from immoral or blasphemous material.  In 1966, the Church officially ceased the support and use of the Forbidden Index. 

We used the Index to create a catalog of books and articles the Loras Library has on its shelves that are also on the Index.  The goal was two-fold.  On one hand, we were able to see vast types of texts that landed on the forbidden index.  All of which simply contained ideas that were contrary to the beliefs of the Church.  The second purpose was to bring attention to the number of materials that Loras has available for the students.  Although Loras is a Catholic College, it is also an institution of learning.  And in order to educate students and teach critical thinking skills, Loras provides access to information.

The inside cover of a book that was on the Index of Forbidden Books.

Below is a catalog of books that were placed on the Index of Forbidden Texts that are currently housed in the Loras College Library. 

The Index in its entirety can be found online through the Beacon for Freedom of Expression here.