Re: [LM_NET] Library Bill of Rights

[Shonda Brisco <sbrisco@GMAIL.COM>]

If a student did not sign the contract would s/he still be allowed to
check out books?  If a parent decided that the child's irresponsible
behavior with library materials wasn't worth the cost of the books and
chose not to sign the contract, could the student still check out
books without a contract?  Would the availability of the materials
purchased by local citizens through state or federal funds (taxes,
etc.) for the use by all students in a public school be restricted to
only those students who had the ability to pay for those items that
might be lost?  Would the repayment of the book always be made in
"legal tender"--- would that be the only way that a student be allowed
to have access to library materials from the school's library?

Would students be allowed to visit the library with others who were
able to check out materials?  Would the stigma of others knowing (and
others seeing) that some children were allowed to check out books
because their parents were able to pay while others couldn't because
their parents were poor, be a violation of that student's right to
access?

I've been in schools that restricted the access of more expensive
materials (such as Playaways) from students whose parents could not
afford to pay for anything that they might lose.  As a result these
students were not allowed to check-out a Playaway while others could.
The ironic thing about this situation was that the very students who
needed to use a Playaway were struggling readers who needed this type
of format in order to become interested in books and reading ---but
they were the exact same students whose parents refused to sign
contracts agreeing to pay for the lost materials.

I think there are some serious issues that need to be considered
before our school libraries begin issuing contractual agreements
between parents and students ensuring us that they will pay for
anything that they lose.  Requiring those who lose school materials is
obviously not something that our school districts require of their
employees (teachers and other adults) who often walk-off with
thousands of dollars worth of materials and equipment every year. We
dismiss those fines without a contractual agreement because...?  They
are employees?  They are adults?  They can read and are better
educated?  They can't afford the materials themselves...after all,
they are poor teachers?

Why then are we continuing to discourage the enjoyment of reading by
restricting the access of materials by placing one more barrier
between the child and the book?

Just some thoughts....(love the discussion, though!)

~Shonda


-- 
Shonda Brisco
Assistant Professor / Curriculum Materials Librarian
Mary L. Williams Curriculum Materials Library
001 Willard Hall
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
http://www.library.okstate.edu/cml/index.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

http://listen.grooveshark.com/song/Love_Song/3035248

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