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Great point, Debbie! However, to be fair to the reviewers I'd like to say that often these individuals are practicing school librarians who may not be experts in the field of American Indian culture (although that does not mean that they should not be responsible enough to check facts and dig a little deeper). Depending upon the journal that is publishing the review, some of these reviewers are paid little or nothing to provide written commentaries about the books that they read and review. Many times the only payment is the opportunity to see their writings published and the ability to keep the book. I agree that there should be some serious investigation about topics such as those dealing with various cultures or historical events. Some authors do a great job, others don't. I appreciate your "watch-dog" ethics in making sure that the materials we present to our students accurately reflect the American Indian culture. In fact, your comments make me take a long look at even the academic materials that we currently have on our shelves and make note to speak with my faculty regarding those items that might be questionable. I know it's hard to write a review and I'm not sure which is worse--- hearing negative comments from the publishers when a review isn't positive or hearing negative comments from the public when the review leads them to make the wrong selection for their libraries. Many times the reviewer (as an independent voice) has to make a decision that can be painful (especially for themselves). However, it is also a very humbling responsibility to realize that as a reviewer, my comments are often used to promote a product and used in a compilation of "best choices" for libraries (such as the H.W. Wilson catalogs or other selection tools). It is not until the reviewer realizes the power of their words (and their review) does it become evident that their decision DOES impact others. I appreciate your reviews and insights, as well as those of other professionals who are specialists within the field. I hope that we, as professional librarians, continue to draw upon your expertise to help us not only review materials with honesty and professionalism, but also remember to seek out the advice of those with more background experience than our own to determine all sides of the issue surrounding any materials that might impact the understanding of other cultures, ideas, thoughts, or behaviors. Thanks for keeping us informed and for bringing insight into areas that we might not otherwise understand. ~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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://osulibrarian.wordpress.com/ http://www.osu-cml.wikispaces.com sbrisco@gmail.com http://okschoollibrarians.wikispaces.com http://okschoollibrarians.ning.com/ "Digital Resources" columnist School Library Journal "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries." ~ Library Poster -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. To change your LM_NET status, you send a message to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * LM_NET Help & Information: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/join.html * LM_NET Supporters: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/category/links/el-announce/ --------------------------------------------------------------------