This Month on SLJ.com

I am a traitor to my sex. I must be. All evidence clearly points in that direction. If 2007 is remembered as anything, for me it will be the year of Boy Books That I Adored While My Female Friends Slowly Shook Their Heads. First I fell head-over-heels gaga for Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Girls didn’t always get the jokes. Then Atherton #1: The House of Power struck me as particularly fun. Blank stares from my female co-workers. Now I’ve read Leepike Ridge and if I am not physically shoving this book down your throat it is only because I have faith that this THIS book must surely be the exciting boy-centered tale that’s going to win over mutual genders. It’s got archaeology... and sheer death-defying, nail-biting survival! There’s a practical tale of a boy finding a new father figure... and evil villains who will kill any man foolish enough to stand between them and TREASURE! Add in the fact that the writing itself is remarkably good, the plot riveting, and the book itself a kind of Hatchet meets Holes and you’ve got yourself one heckuva debut novel, my friend.—September 6

I think exploring new ideas like this can be quite helpful. I know in our area, we have people that know how the Dewey system works pretty well. I’ve had patrons even say things like “Isn’t that going to be in the 350s?” At the same time, I think libraries should be willing to work for the community to make information accessible. It’s a fine line to balance on between dumbing down things and working for the public. This issue is dealt with in the organization of items as well as our collections. Some feel graphic novels have no place in the library because it’s “dumbing things down” to our patrons, while others feel that it’s simply meeting the needs of the community.—Toni Hoelscher, young adult librarian, Houston, TX, September 13.

Too many fully certified and highly qualified (MLS degreed) librarians are being replaced by far less capable and qualified nonprofessionals in school libraries. Even worse, many schools are eliminating the position entirely. If the SKILLs Act is instituted, then millions of children will have the opportunity to succeed academically because schools will have to value what libraries and librarians have always provided—access to and instruction in using information.—Jane Sharka, retired school librarian, president of Illinois School Libraries Media Association, Winfield, IL, August 30.