From: Steward, Celeste <csteward_at_aclibrary.org>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:47:34 -0700

"I wonder, though, do you always order a book a patron requests? Do you eve r say no? In a given day, how many books do you order because a patron asks for a specific book? If it isn't available from another library, do you bu y it? How often? "

these are good questions...

There's no exact formula for library selection and I don't have statistics for you. When money is plentiful, decisionmaking is much easier and I say y es about 90% of the time. :) In the current economy, I have to think about each and every request because it's my job to balance the children's materi al budget. This year, I'll probably buy about 60-75% of what I'm asked for.

When I'm presented with a request (they come in virtually and from staff). Sometimes, readers email me directly. i check to see if it's from a child o r an adult. If the title has wide appeal, I'm going to buy multiple copies. If not, I sometimes buy a few copies if I think it could generate more int erest. If it's just something that I consider a 'special order item' of int erest to very few, i say no. Occasionally, the item isn't physically approp riate for library circulation (has movable pieces, novelty items, etc.) or it's better suited for the teen section and I pass it on.

The children's publishing industry has changed so much that books don't sta y in print for more than 2 years or so. Availability is a deciding factor a nd I have to say no based on that. My library does not buy used books or sp ecialty items.

If other libraries have a copy of a low-demand older title (generally, thes e requests are from adults/staff), I direct the requestor there.

My biggest challenge is keeping up with the computer-savvy chldren, whose r equests are almost always for not-yet-published titles. Sometimes, these ti tles are so far into the future, our vendor database doesn't have them yet. I love getting these requests because I know the children are indeed inter ested in reading.

Celeste Steward, Librarian IV

Collection Development

Alameda County Library


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From: Debbie Reese
 Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2010 3:47 AM To: CCBC Network Subject: Re:
 Professional Responsibility and Cultural Authenticit y

Thanks, Megan, for pointing us to that Q&A page. I'll share it with student s today.

An earlier post about popularity of Disney books reminded me of James Crowl ey's STARFISH. A couple of days ago I uploaded (at my site) an extensive re view of James Crowley's STARFISH. It is published by Disney/Hyperion, and h is writing makes scenes vivid as can be. Given his background as a film mak er, and that the book is by Disney/Hyperion, I wondered if STARFISH is step one for this book. I mean, is this book an idea for a movie?

I am bringing it up in this discussion because I think the Booklist review (the only one I've seen) is positive. And, it is in a Mock Newbery (event? exercise?) on GoodReads. I expect that some people are really going to like it. And, it may end up as a movie, too, so, here's the question. Will you buy it?

This gets back to the question earlier about the librarian's decision to bu y or not. Is it censorship? Or is it selection? We can (and do) go round an d round with that one. I find quite a lot that is problematic in the book. It isn't quite factual error because the events therein are possible, but n ot probable. The story is set in Montana, 1915. Two kids, Lionel and Beatri ce, age 9 and 12 run away from a mission boarding school. It's winter and t hey're trying to get to their grandfather. The impetus for their leaving is that Beatrice (she's 12) is in trouble for singing a Blackfeet song in cha pel instead of praying. The priest throws her out the door and calls two so ldiers over to cut her hair. By then, the two kids have already been at the school for about six years. The soldiers don't like her because she's alwa ys been defiant. They think they need to clean her up before cutting her ha ir (with sheep shears) and they plan to clean her up in the water trough. S ince its winter, the water is frozen o ver. They use her head to break the i ce. Her brother rescues her and they flee.

Before that (in a prologue) there's an old Indian man who, as he walks alon g one of the buildings the night before the incident above takes place, thi nks that he was once "a great warrior" but now he's "a drunk." He dies, an improbable but possible death. Thing is, he's drunk. Later in the book, the two kids find other runaway kids, and they all do a sweat and a dance---or

some semblance of each. As they dance, they drink! They get drunk as they dance around the fire. Lionel and Beatrice don't drink with them.

That's some of what I wrote about. There's more. Lots of drama, lots of vio lence, mystical Indian-stuff, one-with-nature-Indians, lots of vivid writin g. I'm guessing it might "fill a void" in your collections, though, because of time period (early 1900s), setting (Montana), tribe (Blackfeet), but it affirms stereotypes of tragic, romantic, mystical, and drunken Indians, to o. Course, that stuff sells because people WANT it. Patrons in your librari es LIKE that kind of book about Indians, and so, to meet their needs, you o rder it.

I wonder, though, do you always order a book a patron requests? Do you ever say no? In a given day, how many books do you order because a patron asks for a specific book? If it isn't available from another library, do you buy it? How often?

Debbie

Debbie

Visit my Internet resource: American Indians in Children's Literature

Debbie A. Reese (Nambй O'-ween-ge') Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Native American House, Room 2005 1204 West Nevada Street, MC-138 Urbana, Illinois 61801

Email: debreese_at_illinois.edu TEL 217-265-9885 FAX 217-265-9880

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Received on Wed 29 Sep 2010 07:47:34 AM CDT