Several people were interested in the responses I received
concerning a parental request to restrict access to occult books.
The responses were about evenly split between doing as the parent
asks and its opposite, not limiting the student as to check outs.
There were some interesting points made on both sides of the
issue. I have not yet had a chance to discuss the details of the
request and to explore our district policy, if any, in this matter. I'm
thinking of trying some sort of compromise in which a member of
her educational team, someone more knowledgeable as to the
parents' concerns, can guide her in her selections whenever she
comes to media.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have an acquisition policy that is clear and supported by the
administration. Show it to the parent. Be willing to listen, then
explain the policy. If they want to pursue the matter, the proper
channels are (or should be) in the policy. If the parent wishes to
censor what their child is reading, they should expect to be at their
side wherever they borrow the material. Most librarians and their
assistants rarely have the time to constantly monitor what a child
is taking home. A funny example -- a 9th grade student checked
out a copy of Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint." When the book
became overdue, we found that the parent had thrown the book
away. She said she would buy a new copy when we contacted her
-- of course, she didn't. To me, that's censorship. If she didn't
want her child to read the book, she could have returned it so that
another child without the restriction from their parents could read it.
Enough said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think my first line of response would be that the parents should
communicate with their child what they want her to check out (you
did not say how old the girl was). It is their responsibility as
parents and the child's responsibility, not yours. In my situation I
have a student not able to check out Harry Potter books, though
she looks at them on the shelves. She knows that her parent does
not approve and therefore does not check them out. This is a 4th
grader. I also comply with a parent request. I feel they are the
child's parent and as long as they are not asking me to take it off
of the shelf I should comply with their wishes for their child. I have
had no other parents request that their child(ren) not take out
specific books.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I feel that students, even young ones, should be given the
opportunity to select their own books. BUT, I also feel that parents
have the absolute right to censor their OWN child's reading. If they
call or write and ask that I steer THEIR child away from a certain
book, author, or topic, I will respect their wishes. This is my policy
and it has worked for me for many years. It also keeps the parents
on my side because they know where I stand. I have had only a
handful of these requests in the past 16 years.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Praise the parent for being caring and involved with what their
child reads. Invite them to come with their child's class (given
administrative approval) if they are younger, come before or after
school to supervise/help select materials they feel appropriate
with their child. Inform them of the problems inherent for us to
do accomplish that (aides, volunteers, systems not permitting
notes, making the child stand out from the others, definitions of
what is appropriate....). I actually acquired two excellent
volunteers this way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parents have a responsibility to their children; we, as employees
of a school district, financed and governed by people who pay our
salaries, have a responsibility to try to reflect and uphold
community values while balancing them with our own professional
philosophies and obligations. I have said, with a smile, to parents,
"I will try to see that your child does not check out a specific book,
but I cannot promise; that's ultimately yours and the child's
responsibility." I do try. And I also tell my students, "You know
what your parents want you to read and not read. Please respect
that and don't embarrass any of us." I think a little common sense
and understanding is always in order while we do our best to
protect the rights of our patrons. Whoever said it was going to be
an easy job?!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Along those same lines, at what point do you hold the child
responsible? I'm thinking here about a situation where a child
checks out an expensive book and severely damages or loses it.
Do you ask the parents to pay, or the child?
I suspect that most of us would expect the parents to cover the
loss. Why, then, should we not accept their ideas about what is or
is not acceptable for their children to read? I'm not talking about
what is purchased for the library, only about what a particular child
checks out. Rights and responsibilities go together. If the parent is
responsible for the child's loss, then the parent also has the right to
say what the child may or may not check out. If we're going to say
that we will permit children to check out materials against the
known wishes of the parents, then the children must also be
accountable for any losses, not their parents.
Someone mentioned earlier today that the public library gives
library cards to children over 12 without the parent's signature. In
many states children under 18 cannot legally enter into contracts.
Since a library card is evidence of a contract, I suspect that if a
child over 12 but under 18 checked out materials and failed to
return them, the only recourse the library would have would be to
cancel the library card. Certainly the parents would not be
responsible, and since the child was under the legal age to enter
into a contract, the child wouldn't be responsible, either.
I realize that many of you feel that if material meets your selection
guides it is appropriate for all students in your building, and no one
should overrule you without going through a formal challenge
process. That isn't the situation that started this thread. The
parents simply asked that their child not be permitted to check out
any books on a certain topic. They didn't ask for those books to be
removed from the shelves. Nothing is being censored. The parents
simply asked the school to help them enforce their own rules with
their own children.
Joyce Massey, Media Specialist
Maranacook Community School
1001 Main St.
Readfield, ME 04355
207-685-4923, ext. 324
massej@mcs.csd10.k12.me.us
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