One of our parents returned from a religious retreat with a 10-page list of books that elementary school children shouldn’t read. When she asked me to remove them from the library, I said, “No.” Now I’m afraid she’ll rally other parents behind her. What should I do?
Good for you for standing up to her. Now, don’t worry about it until something happens. Here are some things you can do to prepare for a potential problem:
• Prepare (in your head) what to say to parents who question certain books in your collection. For example, you might want to say, “Libraries are about choice” or “We must serve the needs of all students.”
• If you haven’t already, read every book on her list. It’s difficult to defend books you don’t know. And, they’re sure to be interesting reading.
• Look up reviews for each book and file them, for easy access should you need them.
• Review your school district’s materials-review policy.
• Have reconsideration forms available for parents who want to make a formal challenge; remember, they must fill out a form for each challenged book.
• Inform your principal of the steps that you’ve taken to prepare for a mass challenge.
I’m the children’s services manager for a public library system. I just had an irate parent complain about an employee who wouldn’t let her 11-year-old son take out Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. The employee defended herself by saying that the book is classified as YA. This has become a big issue for our library system, especially in our six branches, where most of the employees aren’t trained professionals. Do you have any suggestions?
Start by training your employees who aren’t librarians but are doing the work of professionals. They need to learn how to deal with the public, proper reading-guidance skills, and the fine line between children’s and young adult books. You didn’t tell me how old children must be before they’re allowed free access to your YA collection. Perhaps your library needs to offer some type of “parent approved” card that lets kids access your entire collection. I’m sure there are parents who would welcome that.
By the way, why isn’t Chains in both your children’s and YA collections? There are many 11-year-olds who can handle it. Yes, I’m aware that the book contains violent content, but it’s set during the American Revolutionary War. You can’t have a book about war without violence. Be honest and think about whom you’re protecting by putting the book only in the YA section. Is it the children or the library? Here lies an ethical issue that librarians face on a daily basis.
I’m a school librarian in Texas. Because of budget cuts, I probably won’t have a job next year. If that’s the case, my principal plans to ask the PTA for volunteers to run the library. In the meantime, he wants me to “weed” any books that might be controversial, because he doesn’t want future volunteers to face any censorship issues. Am I doomed if I refuse?
DO NOT WEED THE BOOKS. What do you have to lose? If you don’t have a job, he can’t fire you. If you still have a job there next year (let’s hope), then you’ll still have the materials you need to serve the students and their learning needs. If the principal approaches you again about this issue, simply tell him that “controversial” can’t be defined and the task is impossible. Then, remind him that school librarians are necessary partners in students’ education.
I really like Lane Smith’s It’s a Book, and I ordered it for our elementary school library. I wasn’t bothered by the word “jackass,” which appears in the book, until I saw discussions about it on various online discussion groups. Will I be guilty of censorship if I return the book to the supplier?
I think you can answer your own question. You don’t return a book based on one word and someone else’s opinion.