Throw-It Thursday: Something to Ponder

Hey all! Ashley back with some more thoughts on weeding(ish). I hope everyone is well and happy and excited about summer! Let’s dive right in, shall we?

I would like to look at weeding from a different angle this month. When a patron or community member complains about an item in your library, how do you deal with it? Do you just take their word for it and throw it away so you don’t have to deal with any possible controversy? Do you explain to them that they are entitled to their opinions, but that a) there is a process you must go through to officially file a complaint, or b) you cannot remove an item simply because they do not like it for whatever reason? Do you know your libraries policies in regards to removal of materials, whether it be by staff maintenance or personal request?

There are many ways to censor library materials, and oftentimes we may be doing it without realizing it. We may choose not to purchase something because we don’t personally think it looks interesting or because we don’t see the need/value of it in our communities. We may discard items for the same reasons, and not take into account how we are going to update the collection to reflect the interests/needs/values of different people, cultures, and ideas. And of course, the most controversial of ways to censor materials, is by yielding to a complaint made by someone who dislikes the contents of the material they are contesting.

I’ve specifically had YA materials on my mind for the past couple of months. The school district where my public library is located had a book from their high school library contested by a community member. This book is a graphic novel about a freshman in college who is a gay hockey player and has swearing in it (Check, Please! Book One: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu - Check it out! It’s amazing...and book 2 came out last month). The person disliked all the swearing and claims that is why the book should not be allowed in the school library. The school district went through their process when materials are contested, and the school board finally had a vote and they decided to keep the book, YAY! It was a close call though, as some board members did not want to keep the book.

Anecdote aside, as librarians, we know that censorship and banning books can lead to worse things, which is why it is so important that we do our best to be inclusive and pro-active in our collection development. I encourage everyone to take a look at your libraries policies in regards to collection development, discarding materials, and censorship. Make recommendations to edit these policies (or create them if they don’t exist) so that they provide clear instructions on how collections are maintained in your library. This means you will have something to fall back on and show patrons should they complain. If you ever need help with a book complaint, the staff at CCBC are very helpful and knowledgeable and can provide you with helpful information and resources. (https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/freedom/default.asp).

Some other resources for information and assistance include:

American Library Association http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship

Freedom to Read Foundation https://www.ftrf.org/default.aspx

The National Coalition Against Censorship: https://ncac.org/resource/what-is-censorship

Guest post by: Ashley Borman, Technical Services Librarian, Clintonville Public Library