CCBC-Net Archives
RE: Professional Responsibilty
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: sully_at_sully-writer.com
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:52:38 -0700
Sally,
The public libraries I know would not restrict a child from checking o ut a book from another section of the library, but I'm sure policies do var y. Yes, a child could get the book from the YA section if he/she were so in clined, but it is highly unlikely. Let's say a 4th, 5th, or 6th grader goes to the children's section to research the Civil Rights Movement. What's mo st likely to happen is the patron will be asked to be directed to the books on that subject. When they go the shelves that have books on that sub ject, the Claudette Colvin book will not be there for he/she to find. Disco vering the book through browsing a subject or just good old joyful serendip ity is no longer an option.
Edward T. Sullivan, Rogue Librarian Author, The Ultimate Weapon : The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb (Holiday House, 2007) Vi sit my web site, http://www.sully-w riter.com Visit my blog, Rogue Librarian: All About Books and Readin g http://sullywriter.wordpress .com Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/sullywriter
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Professional Responsibi
lty From: "Sally Miller" der bymiller_at_fuse.net Date: Sun, September 26, 2010 8:51 pm To: & lt; sully_at_sully-writer.com , "CCBC Network" ccbc-net@li sts.wisc.edu
п»ї
AMILY: verdana; COLOR: black; MARGIN-LEFT: 8px; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=reply
In most libraries, isn't it possible for y ounger children to seek and check out books in the YA section if they are s o inclined? And if they are free to do so in the library being discussed in Mr. Sullivan's post, then was the librarian out of line in moving the book ? I pose this as a question, not an argument.) I understand that Jennifer Donovan f eels she wasn't overstepping her bounds by recommending that Hoose's book b e reclassified, but I am disturbed by her refusal to let her 12 year old da ughter read books she feels the girl is not old enough for. In my experienc e, children who have a wide variety of books to choose from seldom choose, and even less often read very far into, books that are "beyond" them. I rem ember that around the same age I picked from our living room bookcase The Sun is my Undoing. When my mother came across me, she said, as I remember these many ye ars later, "I don't think you'll find that very interesting, so if you get bored, why don't you try this?" And she went to the sane bookcase and picked out another book (I'm sorry, I don't remember what it was) and laid it on the couch beside me. I believe I found it much more appealing.
When I was raising my own family, fi ve sons spaced over eleven years, followed by a daughter 4 years later, I c ouldn't have begun to monitor what each was reading. And the boys couldn't& nbsp; have cared less who was reading what as long as no one was appropriat ing the book he himself was currently involved in. I'm inclined to think th at the older boys were more likely than the books were to expose the younge r ones to ideas and experiences they weren't "ready" for. I guess I am speaking more to Ms. Do novan than to Mr. Sullivan and other librarians when I say we do children a disservice when we are overzealous in our attempts to shelter them, spurre d on by our desire to keep them "innocent" longer. When we do this, inevita bly we end up weakening their ability to understand and cope with the chall enges of the world they are going to have to live in, a world far more comp licated than that we grew up in. But , after all, I am talking to librarians. It's easier to stand up to someone who you know is ant agonistic to everything you hold dear; it's harder to st and up to the well-meaning but misguided opponent with whom you sympathize.
And now I will get down from my soap box and apologize for taking so long to say what I should have said succinc tly: "Librarians, stand your ground." With gratitude and respect to y ou all, Sally Derby.
(Kyle's Island, Charlesbridge, 2010; No Mush Today, Lee Low, 2009) ,
----- Original Message -----
From: sully_at_sully-writer.com
To: "CCBC Network" ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu
Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2010 7:36 PM Subject: RE:
Professional Responsibilty
I don't believe Jen nifer Donovan is a book banner but she has no business deciding that the Claudette Colvin biography is inappropriate for every child who uses he r public library. At the elementary school I worked in, I had books abou t slavery, the Holocaust, wars of all kinds, and lots of other unpleasan t topics. There were books about the Civil Rights Movement that showed c hildren being attacked by police dogs and fire hoses. Is any of that ple asant? No, but it's reality and history. Ms. Donovan has every right to tell her own children not to read about certain subjects but she has abs olutely no right to make that decision for anyone else's children. And I do hope that librarian Ms. Donovan spoke to did read the book herself b efore removing it from the children's collection. The idea that a librar ian would remove a book based on one person's say so makes me absolutely sick.
Edward T. Sullivan, Rogue Librarian Author, The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb
(Holiday House, 2007) Visit my web site, http://www.sully-writer.com Visit my blog, Rogue Librarian: All About Books and Reading
http://sullywriter.wordpress.com
F acebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/sullywriter
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re:
Professional Responsibility From: Susan Thomsen c_sp aghetti_at_yahoo.com Date: Sun, September 26, 2010 11:02 am To: Susie Highley shighley_at_warren.k12.in.us , CCBC Network ccbc-net@lists.wisc .edu
Here is an interesting opinion pi ece about a library patron's request
(which was granted) to move the boo k CLAUDETTE COLVIN from her library's children's section to the Young Ad ult section. I know the author, and although I do not agree with her vie wpoint, I think she raises some interesting questions, especially in reg ard to professional responsibility.
"Am I a Book Banner," by Jenn ifer Donovan http://newtown.patch.com/articl es/am-i-a-book-banner
I'm a library patron , too, but not a librarian. My hometown library, the wonderful Westport (CT) Library, shelves this book in the children's section. The NYPL puts it in YA. In Montgomery, AL, where most of CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWA RD JUSTICE takes place, the book is in Juvenile Biographies. Susan Thomsen
From: Susie Highley shighl ey_at_warren.k12.in.us To: CCBC Network
ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Sent: Sun, Se ptember 26, 2010 5:45:31 AM Subject: RE:
Professional Responsi bility
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:52:38 -0700
Sally,
The public libraries I know would not restrict a child from checking o ut a book from another section of the library, but I'm sure policies do var y. Yes, a child could get the book from the YA section if he/she were so in clined, but it is highly unlikely. Let's say a 4th, 5th, or 6th grader goes to the children's section to research the Civil Rights Movement. What's mo st likely to happen is the patron will be asked to be directed to the books on that subject. When they go the shelves that have books on that sub ject, the Claudette Colvin book will not be there for he/she to find. Disco vering the book through browsing a subject or just good old joyful serendip ity is no longer an option.
Edward T. Sullivan, Rogue Librarian Author, The Ultimate Weapon : The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb (Holiday House, 2007) Vi sit my web site, http://www.sully-w riter.com Visit my blog, Rogue Librarian: All About Books and Readin g http://sullywriter.wordpress .com Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/sullywriter
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Professional Responsibi
lty From: "Sally Miller" der bymiller_at_fuse.net Date: Sun, September 26, 2010 8:51 pm To: & lt; sully_at_sully-writer.com , "CCBC Network" ccbc-net@li sts.wisc.edu
п»ї
AMILY: verdana; COLOR: black; MARGIN-LEFT: 8px; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=reply
In most libraries, isn't it possible for y ounger children to seek and check out books in the YA section if they are s o inclined? And if they are free to do so in the library being discussed in Mr. Sullivan's post, then was the librarian out of line in moving the book ? I pose this as a question, not an argument.) I understand that Jennifer Donovan f eels she wasn't overstepping her bounds by recommending that Hoose's book b e reclassified, but I am disturbed by her refusal to let her 12 year old da ughter read books she feels the girl is not old enough for. In my experienc e, children who have a wide variety of books to choose from seldom choose, and even less often read very far into, books that are "beyond" them. I rem ember that around the same age I picked from our living room bookcase The Sun is my Undoing. When my mother came across me, she said, as I remember these many ye ars later, "I don't think you'll find that very interesting, so if you get bored, why don't you try this?" And she went to the sane bookcase and picked out another book (I'm sorry, I don't remember what it was) and laid it on the couch beside me. I believe I found it much more appealing.
When I was raising my own family, fi ve sons spaced over eleven years, followed by a daughter 4 years later, I c ouldn't have begun to monitor what each was reading. And the boys couldn't& nbsp; have cared less who was reading what as long as no one was appropriat ing the book he himself was currently involved in. I'm inclined to think th at the older boys were more likely than the books were to expose the younge r ones to ideas and experiences they weren't "ready" for. I guess I am speaking more to Ms. Do novan than to Mr. Sullivan and other librarians when I say we do children a disservice when we are overzealous in our attempts to shelter them, spurre d on by our desire to keep them "innocent" longer. When we do this, inevita bly we end up weakening their ability to understand and cope with the chall enges of the world they are going to have to live in, a world far more comp licated than that we grew up in. But , after all, I am talking to librarians. It's easier to stand up to someone who you know is ant agonistic to everything you hold dear; it's harder to st and up to the well-meaning but misguided opponent with whom you sympathize.
And now I will get down from my soap box and apologize for taking so long to say what I should have said succinc tly: "Librarians, stand your ground." With gratitude and respect to y ou all, Sally Derby.
(Kyle's Island, Charlesbridge, 2010; No Mush Today, Lee Low, 2009) ,
----- Original Message -----
From: sully_at_sully-writer.com
To: "CCBC Network" ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu
Sent: Sunday, September 26, 2010 7:36 PM Subject: RE:
Professional Responsibilty
I don't believe Jen nifer Donovan is a book banner but she has no business deciding that the Claudette Colvin biography is inappropriate for every child who uses he r public library. At the elementary school I worked in, I had books abou t slavery, the Holocaust, wars of all kinds, and lots of other unpleasan t topics. There were books about the Civil Rights Movement that showed c hildren being attacked by police dogs and fire hoses. Is any of that ple asant? No, but it's reality and history. Ms. Donovan has every right to tell her own children not to read about certain subjects but she has abs olutely no right to make that decision for anyone else's children. And I do hope that librarian Ms. Donovan spoke to did read the book herself b efore removing it from the children's collection. The idea that a librar ian would remove a book based on one person's say so makes me absolutely sick.
Edward T. Sullivan, Rogue Librarian Author, The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb
(Holiday House, 2007) Visit my web site, http://www.sully-writer.com Visit my blog, Rogue Librarian: All About Books and Reading
http://sullywriter.wordpress.com
F acebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/sullywriter
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re:
Professional Responsibility From: Susan Thomsen c_sp aghetti_at_yahoo.com Date: Sun, September 26, 2010 11:02 am To: Susie Highley shighley_at_warren.k12.in.us , CCBC Network ccbc-net@lists.wisc .edu
Here is an interesting opinion pi ece about a library patron's request
(which was granted) to move the boo k CLAUDETTE COLVIN from her library's children's section to the Young Ad ult section. I know the author, and although I do not agree with her vie wpoint, I think she raises some interesting questions, especially in reg ard to professional responsibility.
"Am I a Book Banner," by Jenn ifer Donovan http://newtown.patch.com/articl es/am-i-a-book-banner
I'm a library patron , too, but not a librarian. My hometown library, the wonderful Westport (CT) Library, shelves this book in the children's section. The NYPL puts it in YA. In Montgomery, AL, where most of CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWA RD JUSTICE takes place, the book is in Juvenile Biographies. Susan Thomsen
From: Susie Highley shighl ey_at_warren.k12.in.us To: CCBC Network
ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Sent: Sun, Se ptember 26, 2010 5:45:31 AM Subject: RE:
Professional Responsi bility
--- You are currently subscribed to ccbc-net as: sully_at_sully-writer.com . To receive messages in digest format, send a message to... &nb sp; ccbc-net-request_at_lists.wisc.edu ...and include only this command in the body of the message : set ccbc-net digest To unsubscribe cli ck here: 8dce1ed2219c15feadee9a1e5c&n=T&lМbc-net&o528764" tar ce1ed2219c15feadee9a1e5c n=T lМbc-net o528764 (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) or send a blank email to leave-11528764-19249010.a8d04c8dce1ed22 19c15feadee9a1e5c_at_lists.wisc.edu ---Received on Mon 27 Sep 2010 04:52:38 AM CDT
