We’ve always kept Robie Harris’s books in our children’s room. But after a mother complained about them, our public library director asked us to put the titles in our teen collection. Although I was reluctant to move them, I felt I had to comply. Is this a form of censorship?
Yes. Harris’s books are written for children and families and should be available in your children’s collection. I’ve heard the argument from public library directors, and some children’s librarians, that since kids are allowed to have unrestricted access to the entire collection, it doesn’t matter where the books are kept. But if the books are intended for children, they should be available where kids are most likely to find them—and that’s in the children’s room.
Moving books is a coward’s way out and, in the end, doesn’t solve the problem. What will you do when a parent complains about My Mom’s Having a Baby! or Where Willy Went? These are clearly picture books with no teen appeal.
Our school district has a materials review policy and a reconsideration form that we use when a challenge occurs. I sometimes think that the form actually encourages more challenges. Should we try to talk to parents before we offer the form?
Good conversation is always a good idea. Sometimes parents just want to be heard. Often, they haven’t read the book, and once they understand its general themes they’ll drop the complaint. On the other hand, if the conversation doesn’t go anywhere, I’d simply say, “You need to complete this form so that a committee can consider your complaint.” Make sure that the parent understands how important it is to complete the entire form. Librarians should view the reconsideration form as a tool for resolution.
A father called me to complain after a parent volunteer told his son he shouldn’t be reading books about witchcraft. What should I do? The volunteer helps me three days a week, and I really need her help.
You may really need her help, but you need to inform her that she shouldn’t judge children’s reading choices. Tell her that we all have different beliefs, and that libraries recognize and celebrate these differences. If the volunteer gets angry and quits, then it’s the students’ gain. I suggest that you plan volunteer training that covers this topic. You can save yourself a lot of grief in the future.
My son’s middle school teacher won’t allow him to do a report on Chris Crutcher’s Angry Management because she finds the book offensive. I’m a middle school librarian (at another school), and I recommended the book to my son in the first place. What should I do?
I bet the teacher hasn’t even read it. She’s probably aware that Angry Management has been removed from summer reading lists in some parts of the country. I’d call the teacher and tell her that you recommended the book to your son. You might remind her that someone might be offended by some of the titles that she’s teaching. It’s important that we know that free expression is two-sided.
When a friend found out that the school library had restricted her second-grade son to books that corresponded to his reading level, she requested that he be given access to the entire collection. The librarian and principal eventually agreed that he could have full use of the library after school, but they won’t allow other students to have similar access. My friend wonders if that’s censorship.
Yes, it’s censorship. The most frightening part is the principal’s and librarian’s attitudes. Children should be allowed to explore whatever interests them regardless of a book’s reading level. School librarians feel they have to support the reading curriculum, but that doesn’t mean they need to restrict students’ access to the library’s collection. For example, young children with a passion for dinosaurs can handle informational books about them that are written at a high reading level because they’re interested in the subject. Encourage your friend to rally other parents around this issue—it might be the only way to change the school library’s restrictive policy.