Librarian ‘gobsmacked’ after school uses AI to remove 200 books from shelves including Orwell’s 1984 and Twilight

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.

Index says it has seen a list of 193 books which it deemed might be inappropriate.

In another document seen by Index, the school admitted the reasoning for the removals had been written by AI.

It is not known whether AI was also involved in selecting the books for the list in the first place.

The AI-generated summary warned that the classic dystopian novel 1984 had “themes of torture, violence, sexual coercion”.

Meanwhile, Twilight, which is usually recommended as being for pupils aged 14 and over, was listed due to “mature romantic themes, sexual tension, and violence involving vampires and werewolves”.

The librarian signed off sick due to stress and eventually resigned.

However, the council safeguarding complaint went ahead and was upheld due her “failing to follow safeguarding procedures” because of “multiple books” with “inappropriate content”.

The librarian says some of the books were ordered by people other than her, and she says her line manager signed off on all purchases.

She s being supported by the School Libraries Group (SLG), part of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

Caroline Roche, chair of the SLG, told Index: “This is over the top. It’s ruined her career.

“The fact it’s gone through safeguarding means [she] will never be able to work in a school again.”