February 1999
Staff -- School Library Journal, 2/1/1999
"A person can protest poor policy without yelling, screaming, being offensive, or losing one's job."
Controversy Can't Be Avoided
Conservative? Wimp? Neither of those terms applies to Mr. Indriso, who argues that school librarians should not have any controversial materials in their libraries that might offend children and their parents. The term which comes to mind, however, is censor.
How can Mr. Indriso determine what materials might be offensive? I know that after 15 years as a public school teacher, I could never have predicted which parent or child might object to which book. Even now as I read the reports from the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, I find what is deemed offensive puzzling. I honestly do not believe there are any worthwhile materials available that are "safe" from would-be censors. If they do exist, I suspect they must be boring indeed, as they would have to be materials which would not cause one to think.
To support his opinion, Mr. Indriso calls attention to the case of Cheryl Ward in Connecticut [see "Connecticut Librarian Sues School District Over Transfer," October 1998]. He calls her actions insubordination. We must be reading different articles, for I see Ms. Ward fighting what she believes is a case of censorship. So, are librarians who refuse to remove a book from the collection -- simply because one person wishes it to be removed -- insubordinate? If so, count me in and paint me with this label. Too often we hear of passive censorship, librarians (probably those whom Mr. Indriso would laud) who remove a book from the shelf rather than take a professional stand and ask that a formal challenge procedure be followed. These are the professionals who are derelict in their duty.
I suspect my voice will not be the only one raised in protest to this suggestion that libraries offer only noncontroversial materials. I hope many will write and tell Mr. Indriso that one of the key duties of a librarian is to provide patrons with materials that meet their needs and interests. As a reader, I realize that sometimes I need to be upset, I need to confront people and events outside of my familiar world. To do otherwise would be to ignore the fact that I am not alone, that others have different ideas and beliefs. I hope the children at Mr. Indriso's school have teachers who challenge them to think and question and read. I fear Mr. Indriso is failing in his responsibility to do that for his students.
--Teri S. Lesesne
Associate Professor of Library Science
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX
How disturbing to read the letter from Frank J. Indriso III (December 1998). His philosophy of librarianship should give us pause as we wonder why the stereotypes of librarians continue to pervade our society.
When I began to read his letter, I anticipated that it was a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the disturbing rash of censorship cases being reported on an almost daily basis. However, it soon became clear that Mr. Indriso was not trying to be ironic; rather, he was suggesting that a librarian be the keeper of a collection of pabulum and that we build this type of collection for students -- the future leaders of America!
What types of materials would Mr. Indriso have us exclude from our facilities? Can we include a dictionary? Surely not one that is unabridged. Books about American history? Whose version of the "facts" should we include? Materials about geography? Is the Earth still flat? What materials in English and American literature are we permitted to purchase? Are those Shakespearean works allowed that portray violent or anti-Semitic themes?
Mr. Indriso might not mind if we called him a conservative or a wimp. Unfortunately, with his philosophy, I find it more difficult to call him a librarian.
Arthur L. Friedman
Associate Dean of Instruction
Professor, Library Department
Nassau Community College
Garden City, NY
My comments are in response to the letter from the public library reference librarian who said that public schools shouldn't carry any materials children or parents would find controversial. This idea is so inane that it hardly deserves comment. As a career public school librarian of 29 years, I can say that the only way we could accomplish having no controversial materials would be if our shelves were completely empty. In a day and age when Curious George books are challenged because George doesn't have a tail, what on earth could we have on our shelves that wouldn't be controversial?
Give me a break!
Kathy Geronzin
District Librarian
Northeast Community Schools
Goose Lake, IA
Poetry Passed Over
After reading Paul Janeczko's letter (December 1998) regarding the few books of poetry cited in "Sleepers: 100 Books Too Good to Miss" (August, 1998), I was devastated to find that not one volume of poetry was selected for "Best Books of 1998" (December 1998).
Why should the genre be dismissed in its entirety? If we, as educators, continue to ignore the value of verse, who will value it? Poetry is a most-important part of literature. It must be presented to children -- all children. It must be brought to the attention of the reading community. Why the absence? Why?
Lee Bennett Hopkins
Briarcliff Manor, NY
Editor's Note
To compile a list of the "sleepers," we asked 10 SLJ reviewers to each pick 10 books published in the last five years that their young readers loved -- but were less well known than award-winning titles. The fact that each reviewer had to choose just 10 books from five years' worth of titles may have helped to squeeze out poetry. We chose, however, not to bind reviewers to guidelines that would have guaranteed the presence -- or absence -- of any particular genre.
Similarly, SLJ's selections of the best books of the year is not a genre list. As is true in every subject category, some years are stronger than others. The 1995 list cited five books of poetry; there were two in 1996, and three in 1997. Unfortunately, 1998 wasn't a banner year for poetry. Several titles were considered, but they were not among the 61 chosen. Surely Mr. Hopkins, whose books have been on the list several times in the past, would be the first to deplore the notion of a token entry just to have the genre represented. If next year is better, then poetry will find itself on SLJ's list of the best. If not....
Spell Check
I was appalled to see the misspelling on page 30 of the December 1998 issue. I am assuming the authors meant deSSerts, as in food. I expect the standards for a professional journal to be a notch higher than the run of the mill magazines.
Margie Jones
Librarian
Robinson Secondary School
Fairfax, VA
Editor's Note
We're afraid you're going to have to blame our "mistake" on the 10th edition of Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. When "desert" is used to mean a deserved reward or punishment (as in the phrase "got their just deserts"), Webster is unequivocal: a single "s" must do.
Correction
The e-mail address listed for Joan Bigelow (SLJ Online Library Web Site of the Month, "A Teaching Unit for Treasure Island," December 1998) was incorrect. It is JLBigelow@aol.com.
