So true Shondra
Bonnie Martiny
Media Specialist
St. Charles Elementary
Thibodaux, LA
bmartiny@bellsouth.net
bmartiny@lafourche.k12.la.us
-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Shonda Brisco
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2007 9:55 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] GEN:Nakedness in books
I'm surprised that we are having this conversation at all. When I
first became a librarian (which may have been when dinosaurs roamed
the earth...it's been so long now, I don't remember---in the 1980's),
we discussed the issue of censorship during the 1970's and how
librarians reacted to "In the Night Kitchen" then. Drawing pants on
the little boy, marking out the child completely, or removing the book
were some of the things that LIBRARIANS did in fear of others who
might object or in reaction to those who did object. We questioned
our profession and those professionals, and discussed (and promised
ourselves) how we should / would behave toward those types of
situations when it became "our turn" to face censorship.
I agree with the few who have reminded us that we need to follow our
selection policies and defend our selections from others (and
ourselves). If you feel that your community of learners cannot
accept, appreciate, understand, or tolerate nudity in photographs,
sketches, pictures, or art, then write it in your selection policy,
have it approved, and follow the policy. However, you must also
remember that the library should provide resources and materials for
ALL individuals and from many points of view. If you remove some
materials because a "few" disagree or MIGHT disagree with the content,
then you do not have a balanced collection and many will not be able
to see the other side of the issue or the whole picture (pardon the
pun). Regardless, it is important to remember that we should not
become the censors in our own library and remove or deface books
because of our personal beliefs or fears.
This is a tough profession...it calls for librarians who can build
quality collections of materials based upon their professional
knowledge of the resources and their understanding of the curriculum,
the selection policy, the community (as a whole), and professional
reviews of materials being considered... not run in fear when someone
questions a different viewpoint. When we remove one book from one
side of the argument, we must also remove one book from the other side
of the argument. Soon, there will be no books left to remove.
So then, why are you needed?
My two cents....spend it wisely.
~Shonda
--
Shonda Brisco, MLIS
Library Media / Technology Specialist
Digital Bookends wiki / blog:
http://digitalbookends.pbwiki.com
http://shonda.edublogs.org/
sbrisco@gmail.com
Resources for Texas School Librarians:
http://txschoollibrarians.ning.com/
http://txschoollibrarians.wikispaces.com/
"Digital Resources" columnist
School Library Journal
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