HIT: What is "historical"?

[Shayne Russell <srussell@VOICENET.COM>]

Hi Folks!
Well, it's nice to know I've not been alone in struggling with the decision
to label events that have happened within my lifetime as "historical"!  Many
others had the same dilemma.  There do not seem to be any hard and fast
rules as to which books we should stick those "historical fiction" stickers
on, but here is a summary of the replies I received:

        If the topic is included in a fairly recent (within 5 years) history
book, put the label on.

        If the topic is included in your social studies/history curriculum,
put         the label on.

        If KIDS would consider it historical, put the label on!

        If the book refers to people who actually existed, or to historical
events, put the label on.

        If there is a conscious placement of fictional characters in a
specific         historical setting (which usually seems to be an event or
at least a         distinctive era) as opposed to novels written as general
fiction that as         time passes we associate with an era, put the label on.

        You might want to read the section at the start of
        Genreflecting (Libraries Unlimited).  It had some good genre
descriptions.  You might consider historical in terms of more than 20
years ago.

Works for me!!  Thanks to everyone who responded-- it was a fun question!



****************************************************************************
Shayne Russell
Educational Media Specialist & KidsConnect Volunteer
Mt. Laurel Hartford School              Mt. Laurel, NJ
srussell@voicenet.com                   http://www.voicenet.com/~srussell

KidsConnect is a question-answering and referral service on the Internet,
provided by the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the
American Library Association
****************************************************************************

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 To quit LM_NET (or set NOMAIL or DIGEST), Send an email message to
 listserv@listserv.syr.edu              In the message write EITHER
 1)  SIGNOFF LM_NET  2)  SET LM_NET NOMAIL  or 3)  SET LM_NET DIGEST
 For more help see LM_NET On The Web:  http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=