Librarian 'gobsmacked' after school uses AI to remove 200 books from shelves including Orwell's 1984 and Twilight [View all]

Senior staff at the secondary school in Greater Manchester used AI to earmark 200 books for removal from its library that were deemed "inappropriate"

https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/librarian-gobsmacked-school-ai-remove-books-5HjdWsc_2/



Senior staff at the secondary school in Greater Manchester used AI to earmark 200 books for removal from its library that were deemed "inappropriate". Among those pulled were Michelle Obama's autobiography and The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. A freedom of expression charity claims the school asked an AI chatbot which books were not suitable for its pupils.

The school librarian said she was "gobsmacked" when she was told to remove any books that was "not written for children", had "themes that could be upsetting to children" and "constitute a safeguarding risk". And when she refused to ban these books, she was put under a 'safeguarding' investigation.

This led her to resign and get in contact with Index, on the condition the organisation protected her anonymity. Many of these books were initially removed in November 2025, when the purge first started. The school's headteacher first demanded the removal of Laura Bates' nonfiction title Men Who Hate Women, which is an exposé of incel culture.

The book, which was kept in a special section for older pupils, was thought to be inappropriate due to 'exposure of misogynistic beliefs'. An investigation into the librarian was soon launched and the library closed as a "temporary safeguarding measure". The staff member was accused of introducing "inappropriate books" into the school and reported to the council as a safeguarding risk.

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