Well, since it IS Banned Book week, I think the best thing to do is to
review your selection policy. Hopefully, you have a Request for
Reconsideration form in it....(if not, please check the ALA website for a
copy of one...)
http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=Dealing_with_Challenges&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11173#reconsideration
Then, if there are requests made to remove books or mark out words, you have
a choice to ask the requestor to fill out the formal reconsideration form so
that you can bring the request before a Reconsideration Committee for
review. In the meantime, the book stays "intact" on the shelves...
Please don't mark out the "bad words" and please don't allow teachers,
parents or administrators to take books off the shelves just because someone
doesn't like them.....it will start with "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"
and end "....with Liberty and Justice for All...."
It's your professional responsibility to think about this from all
angles...it's not JUST about the "bad words".
Banned Books Week Information:
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm
Celebrate your Freedom to Read....(Read A Banned Book!)
~Shonda Brisco
Trinity Valley MS / US Librarian
Fort Worth, TX
sbrisco021@charter.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Melissa Small" <msmall@LENOIR.K12.NC.US>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 1:54 PM
Subject: Profanity in Children's Books
> Hi again, everyone! I've got another question. I was wondering what you
=
> do with books children's books that have profanity in them? Do you just =
> go through the books and mark out the profanity, do you remove the books =
> from the shelves, or do you just leave the books alone? It seems like =
> I've had a large number of complaints this year that have profanity in =
> them. Many of the parents and teachers feel like these books should be =
> removed from the shelves. I hate to take a book off the shelf because it
=
> has one or two bad words in them, but I really don't want to imagine the =
> time it will take me to go through all of my library books and mark out =
> any profanity that is in the book. I also had a teacher turn in a 1st =
> grade book yesterday because in the book, the characters were singing 99 =
> bottles of beer on the wall. Like the teacher said, why couldn't they =
> have been singing "the Wheels on the Bus" or something else more
appropriat=
> e.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you!
>
> Missy Small
> Librarian
> Kinston, NC
> msmall@lenoir.k12.nc.us
>
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