I had a parent question why our public library has picture books on the Civil Rights Movement. He feels these books are inappropriate for young children, especially since our community is predominantly Caucasian. He wasn’t satisfied with my explanation and plans to take his complaint to the library board.

I hope you told him that children of all ages need to know our nation’s history, and that communities all across America, especially predominantly Caucasian ones, need to connect with that part of our history. Please explain to the library board and the patron that children study the Civil Rights Movement in American history classes and even our youngest children understand why we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Let them know that ignorance is far more frightening than knowledge.

I have a hunch you’re dealing with a bigoted patron. If that’s the case, I hope your board is enlightened enough to recognize that. You might even suggest that the library begin making plans for Black History Month and include programming for the very young. Who knows? Maybe that patron will attend.

I recently read Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussycat” to a first-grade class that giggled every time I said the word pussycat. Their teacher told me I should’ve quit reading the poem because of the word pussy. Have things gotten so bad in schools that we can’t even read aloud classic poetry?

I’m so happy that you read the poem aloud, and I hope you’ll continue to do that. Too many children don’t know this particular poem because adults don’t want to deal with the word pussy. The poem is great fun, and I bet that your students can be taught to laugh for all the right reasons. They are halfway there, because they’ve got a librarian who’s willing to take them there. Invite the teacher to observe when you explain the meaning of the word pussy.

I purchased a book on war weapons based on our world history teachers’ recommendations and on reviews I’d read. But when the book arrived, I found it very disturbing—it was just too graphic. I’m not comfortable adding the book to our collection, but our teachers want their students to have access to it. Should I put it in our professional collection for teachers to use? Or should I return the book?

You purchased the book based on teacher recommendations and book reviews. That means that you performed your role as a librarian. Another part of that role is to put the book in your collection so that students can use it. There are probably a number of books in your collection that you may personally dislike or find difficult to defend. But a school librarian must remain objective and serve the needs of students and faculty. Putting the book in the professional collection is the same as placing it on a restricted shelf.

My seventh-grade son did a project on the works of the Old Masters and downloaded images of their art for his PowerPoint presentation. Although the teacher had approved the project, she stopped him in the middle of his presentation and told him he couldn’t continue to show his slides because they included nude images. My son was very upset. What should I do?

I would definitely have a conversation with the teacher. I’m not sure how a student can be expected to give a presentation on the art of the Old Masters without displaying any images. I think that you should remind her that your son completed the assignment on a topic that she’d approved. I’m quite certain that she’ll tell you the nude images would have disrupted the class. Be prepared to tell her that students need to be taught not to laugh at art, but, instead, to embrace it. How else will they learn the power and the value of art if they aren’t exposed to it in school?

You might also suggest that the teacher visit the school library’s art section. I just bet there are books about the Old Masters that include nudes. Your son’s classmates have probably found them—now that their teacher has fueled their curiosity.