Katy Gladden
Professor Maria Petropulos
Lib 720 Forum Response
24 October 2010
Here are a few questions I have asked myself over the last two years. I’d appreciate your input!
1.Have you ever intentionally not placed a book in your library that you felt was inappropriate and been asked for your reasons by a student, parent or teacher? How did you handle this?
Fortunately, I work as a Librarian in a college prep high school and have never
experienced this issue or the pressure to not place a book in the library because I felt it was inappropriate. Most of our selections for collection development are curriculum oriented and consequently would not be questioned as the material is related to required reading.
2.In our district students cannot view videos with ratings higher than “G” in the classroom. Do you have videos available in your library for classroom use and check-out that have PG, PG-13, or R ratings? What is your district policy? Do your teachers follow the policy?
Currently, we have several videos in our Catholic high school library that are rated R, basically for some violence or language considerations. As we are not a public school, we do not have a district policy in this regard. We do have a Diocesanpolicy that applies to any teacher who shows R rated videos/DVD’s to students. This policy states that the movies must be curriculum related and a signed permission form must be obtained from every student’s parents prior to viewing the movie material. Our principal is very strict in enforcing this policy and any teacher who does not conform with this policy must fill out a form explaining his/her reasons for not following this rule and answer to the principal.
3.How do you feel about placing books in your library that go against your personal values and beliefs?
This question does not present a problem because currently there are already many books in our library that are contrary to my personal beliefs. As part of our collection selection process, we try to select library media from many different perspectives on various issues to present a rounded perspective. In this way, the students may study a subject from many different view points to form a well rounded perspective as no one book is the correct selection for everyone.
4.Have you ever been through the reconsideration process for a challenged book?
No, I have never experienced a challenged book nor been through the reconsideration process. However, I have experienced a close call in this regard. Several years ago, I worked in an elementary school library, which served the needs of 24 second and third grade classes. One day a parent came into the library with her daughter and selected the book called Captain Underpants by Dave Pilkey. She complained that she did not feel that a book about underpants was an appropriate subject for her second grade daughter to be reading. I asked her if she had ever read the book? The mother responded that she had not and so I asked her to please read the book and tell what she thought about it. Luckily, when she returned the next day, she had a smile on her face and said that although she considered the book to be juvenile, she was not going to submit a book challenge request.