During the last week in September every year, the American Library Association honors Banned Books Week. The American Library Association statement on Banned Books Week this year is here. I took Collection Development last fall and we discussed book challenges, intellectual freedom, and the subtle difference between selection and censorship. One thing I learned is that there is quite a bit of difference between selecting for a school library and selecting for an academic or public library; I also learned that some 75 percent of book challenges are in school libraries.
Sylvia Cochran writes for Associated Content that in school libraries, sometimes book banning is appropriate. I found the article interesting and I feel that Cochran is correct--to a point. This is where the difference between selection and censorship comes in: we learned in class that selection is a positive choice; the selector asks, "What books should I include in a collection?" rather than "What books should I exclude from a collection?" No library in the world has space to include every published book. I doubt even Google has the bandwidth for it, in spite of their statement that their mission is to include digital copies of every book under Google Books. Therefore, some books are going to be excluded from purchase, so which ones does the collection development librarian include? In a school media center, which usually has very limited space, the answer is "materials that support the curriculum and are appropriate for the age group of the students in the school". One book that we discussed in class was Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, and the determination was that while it is perfectly appropriate for a public library, it would not be at all appropriate for an elementary school media center. It is not only a very lengthy chapter book written for adults, but it includes 7-year-olds having sex. To me that is less a censorship issue than common sense.
I disagree with the author when she starts discussing The Fashion Disaster that Changed My Life. Based on what I've learned in my Materials for Children class, the book in question was probably designated at the grade 4-7 reading level due to its vocabulary and due to the fact that children like to read about protagonists who are their own age or a bit older. Cochran mentions that she does not want her child reading it and therefore she wants it banned from school library shelves. This is where we really part ways; her stated belief that she has the right to demand that a book be pulled from the shelves completely because she does not want her child to read it.
On the issue of book challenges themselves, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has a specific policy that it follows whenever someone in the community challenges a book. The challenger fills out a form, and if the challenger is a parent, he or she has the right to request that his or her child not be allowed to check out the book. I find this an ideal compromise. Parents have the right to decide what materials are appropriate for their own children. Where I (and the ALA) draw the line is whether any parent has the right to keep other children from reading a book, because that parent thinks the book is inappropriate for his or her own child. A non-book-related example: I don't allow my children to drink soda, but I would be overstepping my boundaries if I tried to stop fast food places from offering soda for purchase with kids' meals. Another parent might allow his or her children to drink soda, and that is his or her right as a parent. Forcing the rest of the world to cater to one's own personal reading, viewing, or eating choices is not compatible with freedom or democracy.
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