Hi Mary-- I just dealt with a 'self-weeding patron' who threw away a book she
considered filth. She then told me a list of book types she didn't want her 7th
grader checking out. Here's what I did:
First, I empathized with her dilemma in wanting to protect her child from what she
didn't approve of. I did tell her we had a district policy for dealing with books,
and advised her to follow it the next time. Then I told her that I myself wasn't
comfortable in being the book monitor, since I have a partner and student library
interns who help with checkout. Therefore, I would have her child call her and get
her permission to check out a book whenever he came in. I told her, in my most
sympathetic voice, that I would hate to accidentally let something pass that she
might not approve of, and I didn't want to put her in that position again. (yes, I
had to gag myself afterward...)
In Follett, you can put a patron message in the system that pops up every time a
kid's number is typed in. I told her I would put a note in there that would pop up
saying that the child needed to call home before checking out any books. That way,
the message is clear that she is the decision-maker, not me, and then I don't have
to deal with her censorship of other kids. I told her I couldn't allow her to
parent all 1200 kids, but she was certainly within her rights to decide what her
own child could or couldn't read. She thanked me profusely for being such a
sensitive mother and teacher... made me laugh afterward. I didn't tell her that the
fine money she paid would go toward buying a replacement copy of the book she threw
away...
---**---**---**---**---
Terri Brantz
Library Media Specialist
McCormick JHS Library
Cheyenne, WY 82009
email: BrantzT@Laramie1.k12.wy.us
[Email was scanned for viruses by Symantec's CarrierScan for LCSD#1 WebMail]
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