Banish the Stargazers? Joan Bodger, the Missouri State Library, and the Freedom to Read Foundation

The 1960s and early ‘70s were a time of social upheaval and reconciliation of ideals and realities. The Freedom to Read Foundation, Intellectual Freedom Newsletter, and Social Responsibilities Round Table were born in this time, as were countless seminal cases of speech freedom spearheaded by the actions of librarians. Joan Bodger, a children's services consultant for the Missouri State Library in 1969, would be at the center of one of these cases. Bodger would submit a letter to the editor, signed as a state library employee, supporting an alternative paper censored on the University of Missouri's campus. The turmoil that followed would ultimately find her fired. An analysis of the events surrounding this incident provide a unique view of the public and professional conflict over intellectual freedom, and how it was catalyzed by Bodger's actions.