[2] This seminal 1953 article on the difference between censorship and selection in libraries influenced later thought and formed the cornerstone of many intellectual freedom documents.
In the first section of the article Asheim goes over the difference of censorship of a book by the law or by a town, versus the choice of a librarian not to select something for her library.
Asheim says that the negative approach makes it inevitable that a book will be judged not in its wholeness but by isolated parts.
He writes that the selector's positive approach is demonstrated by the diversity of a library's collection that makes as much as possible accessible to patrons.
He writes that the censor uses external criteria to judge a book; for instance, the author's life may be examined and used as a way to reject a work.
Asheim's article has influenced many in the library profession and authors continue to cite it when responding to the changing censorship landscape.
[6] In 1983, Asheim wrote a reappraisal of his own article to address the changing tactics of censors and to challenge the persistent assumption that librarians select materials based primarily on their personal tastes.