The district just told us that we can’t use any upper-level Accelerated Reader (AR) books in our elementary school reading program because the topics may be too mature for our students. We think they’re censoring the program and our students will suffer.
I’d say the students are the winners. Maybe they can finally read books that interest them without being tested on everything they read. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have these books in the library. The students will reject whichever ones they can’t handle.
Our public library serves several elementary schools that use Accelerated Reader. Some of the parents and board members are asking me to put AR reading level stickers on books in our children’s collection. I don’t like this type of labeling, but I’m getting pressured. What should I do?
Check to see if your library has a policy that prohibits that type of labeling. If it does, then you need only point to the policy. Talk with those who want the books labeled and explain that reading levels are determined “scientifically” and that you prefer to encourage children to read for enjoyment and for deeper meanings than AR emphasizes. You might also want to remind them that most schools that use AR have a link on their website to a list of AR books that are arranged by reading levels, and it’s easy for parents and students to access that information. Don’t waste your money on labels. That way, you’ll have more to spend on new library books.
When our principal asked a seventh grader to tell him the name of the book he’d just checked out, the boy ran off without telling him. The principal asked me the book’s title, but I refused to reveal it because that would’ve violated student privacy. What should I have done?
You did exactly what you should have done. The fact that the student ran off should have been a clue that he didn’t want to share his reading choice with the principal. The puzzling part of this scenario is that your principal asked you to reveal what the student had borrowed. If your state has a privacy law, post it in the library so that students, teachers, and administrators are aware of it. Even if your state doesn’t have one, student circulation records should be kept confidential. That’s the ethical thing to do.
An affluent private school requires its third graders to read Newbery books. In fact, it even has a contest to see who can read the most. Some parents have discovered that many of these award-winning titles are for much older readers, and they’ve challenged our public library for having books like The Giver; Jacob, Have I Loved; and Dicey’s Song in our children’s collection. What should we do?
First, I’d recommend that you inform the parents that your collection serves a wide age range of children and that the Newbery Medal may be awarded to books for “older” readers. Perhaps some of the parents have misunderstood the assignment. It’s likely that the teachers have asked their students to read only age-appropriate Newbery winners. But if you discover that the parents are right, then it’s a good idea to have a conversation with the teachers and review the list of Newbery Medal and Honor books with them, specifically highlighting the titles that are most likely to appeal to third graders. I suspect that the teachers haven’t read all of these books, and they’re simply trying to encourage kids to read quality literature. It sounds as though they need your guidance.
One of our staff who covers the children’s room circulation desk in the evening has complained that teens are too loud when they use the nonfiction materials in our children’s collection. She thinks we should prohibit them from using the children’s room. I’m caught between this employee and our teens.
I say the teens should win this battle, but there’s nothing wrong with asking them to be quiet. I doubt that their behavior would be tolerated anywhere else in the library. Also, maybe the employee needs some staff development.