Letters to the Editor: Censorship

In 1964, censorship and intellectual freedom became a concern for Lancaster County’s libraries when Reverend John Smith suggested the need to “weed out undesirable literature” like The Catcher in the Rye from Solanco’s school libraries. In response, Harold Jenkins, the librarian at the Lancaster Free Public Library, wrote that “our critics should point to our lack of material to support their point of view, rather than to complain about our ability to serve those who have a different opinion.” Other Lancastrians voiced their opinions in the letters they wrote to the editors at Lancaster’s Newspapers.

Credit: 1964, in the Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal and the Lancaster New Era