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Hi All, I*ve been following the *Lucky* censorship debate as it has raised many fundamental questions in my mind. Sadly, many of the posts suggest that we are indeed what the media has portrayed: fusty book marms who feel compelled to censor. Yes, selection does inherently mean we censor and not necessarily in a negative way; after all, as it has been pointed out, we all have limited budgets. However, I think that in pre-selecting a Newbery title based on *what*s age appropriate* or *what*s best for our community* we shirk our responsibility to provide access and to support intellectual freedom. Does anyone remember ALA*s *Library Bill of Rights*? The AASL has the *Freedom to Read Statement*. The International Reading Association has the *Censorship Statement*. The National Council of Teachers of English has *The Student*s Right to Read*. Does this mean that when we become library media specialists we suppress our professional ethos? Who makes us the arbiters of morality for an entire community? Just who are we protecting from possibly inflammatory material? Our school district? Our administrators? Ourselves? We*re certainly not protecting children*. How can we let a fear that a solitary title may provoke controversy interfere with connecting children with good, quality literature that may stimulate their curiosity and intellectual or emotional development? I*ve been bored by some Newbery winners, but don*t we let readers make connections and decide what they like? How dare we take away that right. I doubt the word scrotum will mar a person for life. In our collective years of teaching, how many of us have really dealt with a community hearing over a library book? I find this all very alarming. Yes, the Newbery Committee awards challenging titles that stir both mind and heart; isn*t this a key standard of any literary award? If we were to strip this criteria away, are we then awarding based on popularity? Goosebumps and Pony Pals would then win year after year. I thought we had literary awards to guide us in collection development, not censorship. I have had several students pride themselves on reading Newbery winners; I, for one, will not squelch their enjoyment, spirit, and sense of accomplishment based on the small probability of offending an adult. Laura Laura Brooks Library Media Teacher Amerman Elementary School Northville, MI brooksla@northville.k12.mi.us "Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." -The Lorax, Dr. Seuss -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, e-mail 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 * Allow for confirmation. * LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/sub/ * LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html --------------------------------------------------------------------