Letters

Please let Julie Anderson ("GIVE Print a Chance," February 2001, p. 37) know that she has hit the proverbial nail on the head. As I read her column, I knew that she was describing what I had been seeing as a problem for quite some time. This week has been particularly frustrating as a group of my students are researching Darwin and evolution directly online without, seemingly, much direction from their teacher. As I tried to point them toward print sources and help them pinpoint what information they needed, the February School Library Journal arrived.

I will now suggest this approach to teachers as they schedule classes in the library and tell them that this is what they need to do to insure maximum success.

Patricia Verett, Librarian, Mackenzie Jr. High, Lubbock, TX

I was so impressed with "Give Print A Chance" by Julie Anderson that I shared the article with our teachers. For the very first time I got feedback and positive remarks from many staff members. It is comforting to note that this problem exists probably everywhere and we, as media specialists and teachers, need to not only address it but to also find solutions. Anderson's article is going to provide the impetus here for more book usage first. All I can say is thanks for such a timely opinion.

George Hendrick, Media Specialist, Westlake High School, Waldorf, MD

In her column "Give Print A Chance," Julie Anderson gives voice to a problem I have encountered over and over again as a middle school librarian. More often than not, students doing research in the media center want to start with the Internet. I have to stop students daily and show them to the reference section, filled with print resources, not computers. Looking for the area and flag of Egypt? Need to know when Edgar Allen Poe was born? All facts easily found in a print encyclopedia. And students are not the only ones who have forgotten about print resources.

I applaud Ms. Anderson for voicing this opinion, which, I am sure, many school media coordinators share. I plan to copy this column and place it on the bulletin board in the teacher's lounge here at school. I may even copy it to send teachers who may need to be reminded that print resources are not obsolete yet.

Thank you, Ms. Anderson.

Lisa D. Williams, Media Coordinator, P. S. Jones Middle School, Washington, N.C.

I am writing in response to the "Ad Nauseam" article (News, March 2001, p. 24).

I work in a middle school and high school library, and one of my tasks is skimming through the magazines for objectionable material. Since more and more magazines seem to be competing with more and more questionable subjects, it has become increasingly difficult to provide students with a well-rounded group of reference and/or enjoyable periodicals, especially at the middle school level. However, I have a real problem with Ed Nizalowski's tearing pages from magazines, depending on what he views as inappropriate. Who censors the censor, and where does it stop?

While I agree with his action in principle, I condemn it in practice. If an article/advertisement is inappropriate, file the magazine with the collection for reference use. Don't make it more appealing by ripping out the "naughty" stuff.

Carla S. Mazurik, Library Secretary, Waynseburg Central High School, Waynesburg, PA

I just received the reviews of Greece and Mexico (ABDO, 2000; March 2001, p. 231). Though I have not challenged any review in the past, I felt compelled to respond to inconsistent and puzzling criticisms in Judith Constantinides's critique.

At issue is her comment about our maps—"the maps of each country, however, are not detailed enough to be useful"—and her recommendation that librarians not "desert the 'New True' and 'True Books' series, or the 'Take a Trip' series, unless for diversification."

All of ABDO Publishing Company's "Countries" books have maps that illustrate major geographical features and cities discussed in the text, as well as rainfall and temperature maps. In fact, our topographical maps have more detail than the ones found in the True Books—which don't even have rainfall and temperature maps.

Overall, our "Countries" books cover more topics, in more depth, than the "True Books" or the "Take a Trip" series, without sacrificing readability.

Constantinides's comment that Mexico is already dated "due to the recent election surprise" seems unreasonable, especially when you consider the "True Books" were published in 1997, the "New True Books" came out in 1990, and the "Take A Trip" series was published in 1986. Our "Countries" books provide more up-to-date information than all those series.

Overall, we appreciate and respect Judith's comments about Greece and Mexico. But her criticism about the maps and dated material is not consistent when considering her recommendation of other series, whose maps have less detail and whose contents have been out-of-date for many years.

Bob Italia, Senior Editor, ABDO Publishing Company, Edina, MN

As a reviewer I bear in mind that the majority of our readers operate with limited book budgets and without seeing the books first. Therefore, titles that duplicate material found in at least two or three series already in existence, for a particular age group, must exhibit outstanding qualities in order to be recommended as first purchases.

This series has many good features that were noted in the review. However, I thought the three small maps included were less useful than a large geopolitical map with cities and regions marked. The text does perhaps present more information than the existing series do (albeit with fewer pages, fewer pictures, and smaller print) but much of it seems rather superfluous (e.g., three sentences on the airlines and airports of Greece), and the texts are choppy.

One of the reasons for purchasing a new country series would be currency. However, I felt compelled to alert readers to the fact that the recent election was not included.

In the final analysis, librarians will make decisions based on the specific needs of their collection—reviews merely try to make their job easier. As I originally stated, Mr. Italia's series is competent and is worth considering as an additional option if needed.

Judy Constantinides, Formerly of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library