Review: Librarians to the Defense: Groups form to fight a conservative-led attack on libraries' efforts to promote social justice

Bader, E.J. (2021, October 19). Librarians to the defense: Groups form to fight a conservative-led attack on libraries' efforts to promote social justice. The Progressive Magazine. https://progressive.org/magazine/librarians-to-the-defense-bader/ 

This mentions many great programs that libraries around the country are conducting that promote inclusivity and awareness. One such program was a Holocaust book discussion group run by librarian Jeannie Ferriss for the Whitehall Community Library. Ferriss stated she mentioned the Holocaust to a group of young adults, and they had not heard of it before. Like me, upon hearing this news, Ferriss was very surprised, and that's when the idea of a Holocaust book discussion group began. The program is for 14–17-year-old teens and invites adults to join. It not only involves book discussion, but also offers visits to a Holocaust Memorial Museum, lectures by rabbis, and "discussion with both a Holocaust survivor and a former soldier who helped liberate the concentration camps".

There are numerous other initiatives across public libraries that seek to “protect against the distortion of history” by archiving pamphlets, leaflets, posters, prints, and other historical artifacts. 

However, the article also points out the pushback against these initiatives. Specifically, they point out what happened at the Niles-Maine District Library in Niles, Illinois. Right wing groups were able to win most seats on the library’s board and proceeded to influence library policy. They ended programs that “distributed books to the homebound and people who live in nursing homes; [cut] the overnight cleaning crew; [reduced] the adult services budget by $150,000; and [slashed] the number of [open] hours”. 

They did this because they believed that libraries should be run like businesses, aimed at saving taxpayer funds, and not as community enrichment organizations. They also won the conservative majority because only 8.4 percent of eligible voters participated in the election. 

It is important for organizations that support library programming aimed at inclusiveness and diversity, to be active at library board meetings, and in the community when there are important elections for board seats or library funding initiatives. The article mentions a referendum to fund renovations for a library in Plainfield, Illinois. Right wing organizations rebranded the referendum as a “property tax and paid for robo-calls to urge people to vote ‘no’.” The message was to vote no on taxes, not to vote yes on libraries. It is all about what message the community hears. There is support for libraries, but community members must be active to counter the message of right-wing organizations.

On Children's Media Literacy

 Watkins, Rachel

Buckingham, D., Banaji, S., Burn, A., Carr, D., Cranmer, S., & Willett, R. (2004). The media literacy of children and young people: A review of the research literature on behalf of Ofcom. Office of Communications. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10000145/1/Buckinghammedialiteracy.pdf

 

This is a review of the literature about media literacy of children. It discusses the aspect of media literacy: access, understand, and create. It also discusses barriers to children learning media literacy as well as things that enable them to learn media literacy.

 

 I thought this article was very intriguing. I think the subject matter is important and I feel like the authors did a good job evaluating the literature and presenting information in a format that made sense.

Book Challenges: Classrooms, Parents, Court

 Pearsey, Eliza

Read the Room | On the Media | WNYC Studios. (2022). WNYC Studios. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/episodes/on-the-media-read-the-room

This podcast from WNYC (an NPR affiliate) focuses on how books get challenged and removed from classrooms and libraries, what rights parents have, and the 1982 Supreme Court case that ruled that school boards can’t remove books based on their disagreement of the ideas in them. 

This is a timely and helpful article in 2022. One important point is that when some items are challenged, we as librarians need to make sure we read in context. Generally, people who challenge a book haven’t read it. And because of that the context suffers. For example, in Go Ask Alice, many people point to a passage where she talks about sex, but basically she’s stating that she regrets what she’s done and hopes that one day, some one will genuinely love her. Overall, this could be a beneficial text for students. It's important that context and connotation are taken into account when challenging a book. 

Censorship Basics: Check out this Accessible Handbook!!

 McCord, Maria

National Coalition Against Censorship. (2020). Responding to Book Challenges: A Handbook for Educators. 1-18. https://ncac.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NCAC-Educator-Handbook-Final-Web-PDF-11.17.2020.pdf

Compiled by NCTE and NCAC, this user-friendly handbook provides the basics to understanding censorship within schools and school libraries. Definitions, a brief history, and rationales preventing censorship are explained simply. The reader is not only reminded that the first amendment protects all free speech and expression, a core value of public schools and school libraries, but that decisions regarding materials must follow clear selection review criteria.

Strategies for implementing book selection include: 1. check policy ahead of time 2. communicate and document intention 3. create opportunities for discussion 4. document student learning. 

Tools to handle book challenges are clearly outlined: 1.  understand school policies 2.  listen 3. document 4. contextualize the challenger’s concerns 5. offer options

Suggestions for active advocacy are outlined. A valuable appendix provides policy guidelines as well as two sample review policies. 

In our country currently with the incredible increase in banning books, this Free Expression Educators Handbook is a “must have” for every public school teacher and school librarian.

This short handbook is accessible  providing the facts in a non-threatening way while reminding us of our professional responsibility to prevent censorship of school materials. 

We, administrators,  staff, and school librarians, need to prioritize understanding school policies, so we can be aware of potential book and instructional material challenges. After reading this handbook, I am motivated to find my district’s selection policy as well as its book challenge policy. This handbook is a great reminder of the ongoing work to overcome our own biases and values in order to protect the freedom of thought, expression, and inquiry of our students. As NCAC recommends, “ The better you explain why you chose a text and how it supports curricular goals, the more supportive parents will likely be. No parent should decide what someone else's child may read.” What a worthwhile resource, especially for TL/MLIS students like myself who will not take any classes on Intellectual Freedom.