Having jumped into this discussion over a week ago I cannot help but to
respond to this quote.
"We can advocate for books all we want,
but I think our responsibility ends there. If the school board says "no" I
don't think the librarians should feel bad about just accepting the
decision."
In 1982 there was a Supreme Court Case regarding this very issue! It was
Pico vs Island Trees. The Supreme Court determined that students do not
leave there first amendment rights at the school house. Here was a group of
individuals including Steven Pico a student and Irene Turin, a school
librarian, who did not accept the decision of the Board of Education.
You may be familiar with many of the titles:
"After their action was publicized, the board appointed a "Book Review
Committee" composed of four parents and four school staff members. In July,
the committee recommended:
a.. The Fixer, Laughing Boy, Black Boy, Go Ask Alice and Best Short
Stories by Negro Writers be returned to the library shelves.
b.. The Naked Ape and Down These Mean Streets be removed from the library
shelves.
c.. Slaughterhouse Five be made available to students only with parental
approval.
The committee could not agree what to do with Soul On Ice and A Hero Ain't
Nothin' But A Sandwich, and they took no position on A Reader for Writers.
(Not all committee members had read the book.) "
Board members - who themselves had read only excerpts from the books -
ordered principals in the school district to remove eight of the works in
question from district junior high and high school libraries. (Laughing Boy
was the only book the board agreed to return to library shelves; Black Boy
could be obtained only with parental approval.) The reasons for banning the
books varied, but most commonly cited were the presence of profanity and
explicit discussions of sex, as well as the "anti-American, anti-Christian,
anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy ." nature of the writings. "
The United States Supreme Court determined that
A school library, no less than any other public library, is 'a place
dedicated to quiet, to knowledge, and to beauty.' . 'Students must always
remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity, and
understanding.' The school library is the principal locus of such freedom. .
'A student can literally explore the unknown, and discover areas of interest
and thought not covered by the prescribed curriculum. . Th[e] student learns
that a library is a place to test or expand upon ideas presented to him, in
or out of the classroom"
Just had to give a little history to the discussion!
Rocco Staino
Director
Keefe Library
North Salem Central Schools
230 June Road
North Salem, NY 10560
stainor@northsalem.k12.ny.us
914-669-5414 ext 2051
fax 914-669-5422
----- Original Message -----
From: "Marsha Redd" <marsharedd@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 3:57 PM
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Erring on the side of caution
>I think that there is a big difference here between public libraries and
>school libraries. I may draw some heat for this, but here goes . . .
>censorship, in my opinion, does not apply to the same degree in schools as
>it does in public libraries because we are dealing with minor children.
>What parent is going to say that he/she has never censored anything that
>pertained to their own children. I wouldn't let my son read anything he
>wanted when he was 5 years old. Fortunately, this never came up for me, but
>if my son had wanted to read something that I thought was totally
>inappropriate, I would not have allowed it . . . the same way 10 year olds
>are not allowed to see R rated movies. It's easy to get carried away with
>this anticensorship cause because everything we believe and are taught
>tells us not to censor. In reality, where children are concerned, there is
>already censorship all of the time.
> And it is important to remember that the school board is an elected body
> whose job is to oversee the school. We can advocate for books all we want,
> but I think our responsibility ends there. If the school board says "no" I
> don't think the librarians should feel bad about just accepting the
> decision.
>
>
>
> Marsha Redd
> Librarian, Kelloggsville High School
> Grand Rapids, MI
> marsharedd@hotmail.com
> Education is not a goal; it is a life-long process. Everyone is a student.
> Everyone is a teacher.
>
>
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: "Teri S. Lesesne" <lis_tsl@SHSU.EDU>
> Reply-To: lis_tsl@shsu.edu
> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Erring on the side of caution
> Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:04:35 -0600
>
> > I don't think we should be judging librarians that chose not to add
> > certain books to their collection. Are you willing to lose your job over
> a book?
>
>
> If I do not take a stand, who will? I know I am out of the trenches where
> I teach. I am guaranteed intellectual freedom. I can and do elect to use
> controversial literature as I prepare future school librarians and reading
> teachers. We talk about selection policies and reconsideration of
> materials processes. Take a look at the people honored by ALA for their
> heroic defense of books. I had the honor to work with Ruth Cox (now Ruth
> Cox Clark), one of those librarians who did put her job on the line. Our
> local library system has been assaulted by people who tried to remove the
> Robie Harris books about sex. The head of the system, Jerrilynn Williams,
> put her job on the line. She, too, received support from ALA and other
> entities to help her in her battle against censors. If we do not fight
> for books, I am fearful there will be no books left for which to fight.
>
> teri
> ----------------------------------------------
> Teri S. Lesesne
> Sam Houston State University
> Department of Library Science
> MAKING THE MATCH: THE RIGHT BOOK FOR THE RIGHT READER AT THE RIGHT TIME
> Stenhouse (2003)AND
> NAKED READING (Stenhouse, 2006)
>
> Blog site:
> www.professornana.livejournal.com
>
>
> Web Site:
> www.professornana.com
>
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