Gwinnett County Public Library

In 1997, Gwinnett County Public Library removed Nancy Friday's bestseller Women On Top from its collection after two patrons complained about its sexual content.[11] Connie Cosby, one of the patrons, had requested that the book be made unavailable to children, and was "stunned" but "ecstatic" that library director Jo Ann Pinder removed it entirely.[12] Women On Top became the fourth book Gwinnett County Public Library had removed from its shelves because of complaints about content.[13]

The library's decision prompted many residents to write letters opposing and supporting the library's decision; one such letter from Sheila Blahnik, the other patron who had asked the library to remove Women On Top, called the reaction an "onslaught of media attention".[14] Area booksellers reported increased sales of the book soon after the library removed it; a Waldenbooks manager said, "In two months the bookstore sold one copy, and all of a sudden last week we sold eight."[15] One county resident called for Pinder and another librarian to be fired for describing the reasons for the book's removal as "editing errors and changes in library purchasing guidelines" rather than stating that it was censored because of its sexual content; other residents began shouting questions which the board did not answer, and the police were summoned.[16]

As a result of the controversy, Gwinnett County Public Library created a "parental advisory" category for books deemed suitable only for adults, allowing parents to give consent for their minor children to check those items out.[17] The library also created an advisory board to review the process for handling residents' complaints about library materials, and on the advice of county lawyers the library later opened those meetings to the public.[18] Ultimately, the library made it easier to request removing books from the library, on the advice of the advisory board, because the old form had been "too complicated".[19]

The current Materials Management Policy (last updated 2016), has eliminated restricted item sections or categories and instead encourages customers to make their own decisions on which materials to check out. In line with current American Library Association guidelines on censorship, the Gwinnett County Public Library's current policy states that one customer "may not restrict access to these materials by others". A materials reconsideration request form is available for customers who which to challenge materials held by the library.[20]