From: Susan Lempke <slempke_at_nileslibrary.org>
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 11:52:44 -0500

I find one of the more challenging issues to work with currently is keeping a collection balanced by representing different views, but being careful to keep out inaccurate information. The president of my library's Board is very conservative. He requested we add a quite terrible book to the collection, and I reminded myself that "a good library has something to offend everyone" including me, and went ahead and purchased Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed! It shelves with the politics, and I don't really have a problem with it since it's not hiding what it is.

I suspect he is biting his tongue a great deal because he doesn't challenge the books he dislikes, but he has made it clear in a variety of ways that he thinks climate change science is nonsense. So from his point of view, our collection of books from Al Gore to a Rookie Reader on recycling have a liberal slant that goes unbalanced in the collection. I try to purchase books that include both points of view and fairly summarize the arguments for both sides, but the weight of the collection is definitely in one direction.

The line I have drawn for my department on this is accuracy, but I do wonder if I'm hiding behind it.

Susan Dove Lempke Head of Youth Services Niles Public Library, Niles Illinois
Received on Tue 28 Sep 2010 11:52:44 AM CDT