Librarians in a police state: South African academic libraries and the problem of censorship

Censorship is considered in the South African political context and the relevant statutes and regulations are described in terms of their impact on libraries. It is seen as extremely damaging to the academic process and a dilemma for the librarian. Two models derived from this situation portray the librarian as victim and as collaborator. They show that librarians have been unimaginative and have ignored international standards. Both universities and the profession have failed to take significant corporate action while censorship has tightened under successive states of emergency. For human rights librarians, it is concluded, the only effective way forward is a new professional body in the democratic tradition.