I'm a librarian
So there's this book called Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S. Brannen. It was published this spring and I haven't seen it myself (yet). But it's about a girl who's favourite uncle is getting married to another man (er, badger? squirrel? mouse? some woodland critter I can't identify, but the point is she's going to have two uncles (well, that's not the point of the book, but anyway)).
So naturally the book's been challenged (which means someone requests that it be removed from a collection). And today I found a blog post by Jamie LaRue, the head librarian of a Colorado library where it was challenged, in which he posted his reply to the patron. It is so beautifully and thoughtfully and tactfully written, I don't even have words. Excerpt:
I fully appreciate that you, and some of your friends, strongly disagree with its viewpoint. But if the library is doing its job, there are lots of books in our collection that people won't agree with; there are certainly many that I object to. Library collections don't imply endorsement; they imply access to the many different ideas of our culture, which is precisely our purpose in public life.
[Read the full post here.]
Folks, THIS is why I want to be a librarian. To be part of a profession that defends our rights to read what we choose and have access to what we choose. If it's on the shelf, that doesn't mean you have to read it. It means you have the choice to read it. But the act of reading it is up to your discretion.
There are plenty of books on library shelves that I don't agree with or that I find distressing or disturbing. But I firmly believe that they have a place there, whatever my own opinion on them, because they are part of our culture. There are lots of people in the world who I don't agree with, but I don't think they should all be silenced. Just because it's a book doesn't make it different than a person. We are all different and we have different thoughts, ideas, values, etc. So don't take it out on the books. Books represent ideas. Getting rid of a book won't get rid of an idea. And the fact that we all have different ideas and see things from different perspectives is one of the coolest things about living.
And here, have my favourite librarian anthem. (Acoustic/demo version of the song from Jonathan Rundman's website.) I always feel dorkily happy when I hear it, and I just can't help singing along. "I'm a liiiibrarian, I'm a liiiiiibrarian!" \o/
.eta: Bonus! I got to use "quixotic" for my mood. :D
.more eta: On a related note, And Tango Makes Three (which I discussed here) is the ALA's most challenged book for the second year running. (This is actually awesome because the thing about banned/challenged books is that people are curious about them and go read them. Ha.)
So naturally the book's been challenged (which means someone requests that it be removed from a collection). And today I found a blog post by Jamie LaRue, the head librarian of a Colorado library where it was challenged, in which he posted his reply to the patron. It is so beautifully and thoughtfully and tactfully written, I don't even have words. Excerpt:
I fully appreciate that you, and some of your friends, strongly disagree with its viewpoint. But if the library is doing its job, there are lots of books in our collection that people won't agree with; there are certainly many that I object to. Library collections don't imply endorsement; they imply access to the many different ideas of our culture, which is precisely our purpose in public life.
[Read the full post here.]
Folks, THIS is why I want to be a librarian. To be part of a profession that defends our rights to read what we choose and have access to what we choose. If it's on the shelf, that doesn't mean you have to read it. It means you have the choice to read it. But the act of reading it is up to your discretion.
There are plenty of books on library shelves that I don't agree with or that I find distressing or disturbing. But I firmly believe that they have a place there, whatever my own opinion on them, because they are part of our culture. There are lots of people in the world who I don't agree with, but I don't think they should all be silenced. Just because it's a book doesn't make it different than a person. We are all different and we have different thoughts, ideas, values, etc. So don't take it out on the books. Books represent ideas. Getting rid of a book won't get rid of an idea. And the fact that we all have different ideas and see things from different perspectives is one of the coolest things about living.
And here, have my favourite librarian anthem. (Acoustic/demo version of the song from Jonathan Rundman's website.) I always feel dorkily happy when I hear it, and I just can't help singing along. "I'm a liiiibrarian, I'm a liiiiiibrarian!" \o/
.eta: Bonus! I got to use "quixotic" for my mood. :D
.more eta: On a related note, And Tango Makes Three (which I discussed here) is the ALA's most challenged book for the second year running. (This is actually awesome because the thing about banned/challenged books is that people are curious about them and go read them. Ha.)