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Linda Wilson wrote:

>Librarians are perfectly happy to help students and parents find books
>they want to read so why is it onerous to help them avoid books their
>parents do not want them to read?

My current school population is about 1100 and I've been in schools as large
1800 students. This would be extremely onerous and nearly impossible for me.
There are a few students -- our voracious readers -- whose preferences I'm
aware of and can offer them specific titles without asking them about their
interests. There's no way I could remember parental restrictions for that
many kids or even a portion of them. I suppose I could ask each student if
their parents have stated the types of books they don't want them to read,
just like I ask what they do want to read -- but I doubt that I'd get a
honest answer from most HS students.

I think this is likely a different issue for elementary and secondary
schools. It is the developmental task of adolescents to pull away from their
parents and become independent individuals. This task is severely hindered,
in my opinion, by parents who won't let get go. Restricting what teenagers
read is a part of that "not letting go" and therefore hinders development.
If a particular subject truly interests a student, they will get the
information somehow -- making it off limits just increases it's attraction.

There are my two cents early on a Friday morning,
Julie

Julie Anderson, Librarian
Liberty High School, Renton, WA       425.837.4901
andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu

"Fiction is a lie about the truth." Jane Chambers

-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Wilson [mailto:linda_wilson@GREENWICHACADEMY.ORG]
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 6:32 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: SEC: Parental Request to Monitor Book Selection


Librarians are perfectly happy to help students and parents find books
they want to read so why is it onerous to help them avoid books their
parents do not want them to read? After all, it is the parents' choice,
isn't it? This is not censorship. You are not removing books from your
collection at the behest of a parent. Isn't this one of the librarian's
happiest and most cherished responsibilities: reader guidance.

I do not agree with this parent's fears, but I would ask the parent to put
in writing the specific topics she includes in the occult: witches,
e.s.p., monsters, ghosts, Harry Houdini, whatever. You will want to remind
her that as a concerned parent, she will, of course, look at anything her
daughter brings home, right? Just to make sure. Then I would meet with the
student and show her the list and ask her to talk with you if she has any
doubt about the content of a book she's about to check out and you will
help her decide if her mother would approve. You can't do much more than
that, but you will have met the parent more than half way.

Linda M. Wilson, Library Director, Greenwich Academy, 200 N. Maple AV,
Greenwich, CT 06830 203.552.4403
linda_wilson@greenwichacademy.org
http://mail.greenwichacademy.org/~linda_wilson/libhome.html

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